Project Sovereign
by TheArabianKnightt
Summary: Mal is a high school student that's been feeling a lot of deja vu lately, especially when he gets dragged into joining a literature club by his best friend. However, the more time he spends at the club, the more he realizes things are not as they seem, and that there are far more dangerous and sinister things lurking in the lines of code that even Monika is unaware of.
1. Chapter 1

**01.**

**Login accepted. Project Sovereign initialized. Beginning startup sequence …**

"Heeeeyyy!" a familiar voice calls out to me from down the block. I look over to see an annoying girl running toward me from a distance, waving her arms in the air like she's totally oblivious to any attention she might draw to herself. That girl is Sayori, my neighbor and good friend since we were children. You know, the kind of friend you'd never see yourself making today, but it just kind of works out because you've known each other for so long?

Woah, deja vu. Why do these random thoughts keep popping into my head from time to time as if I'm having a conversation with someone that can never answer me back? Also, why do I feel like I've had these exact thoughts before whenever I experience them? Before I can continue to ponder on this, Sayori catches up to me, trying to catch her breath.

"I overslept again!" she says in between gasps of air. "But I caught you this time!" She neglected to button her charcoal school uniform jacket, revealing the brown vest she wore underneath atop a blue skirt, as well as her signature red bow to accent her coral-red hair.

I remember growing up that we used to walk to and from school every day, but ever since high school started, Sayori has been sleeping in more and more. Eventually, I got tired of being late to class, so I stopped waiting for her, but it seems like today she managed to get up a little early by her standards. I'm rather impressed considering she also managed to look presentable.

"Only because I decided to stop and wait for you," I tease with a smirk. Sayori pouts.

"You say that like you were thinking of ignoring me. That's mean Mal!" She gives me a look with those cerulean eyes that would have convinced me she was hurt if I didn't already know better.

"Well, if people stare at you for acting weird then I don't want them to think we're a couple or something."

It's strange. As the words leave my mouth, something feels … off. Like I made that joke countless times before. Like it was scripted even. I wonder if Sayori noticed that too.

"Fine, fine," she says. By now she's regained her breath. "But you did wait for me. I guess you don't have it in you to be mean even if you want to."

I guess not. I shouldn't be surprised, I suppose. Sayori gives me a charming smile; it's almost picture-worthy.

I want to say that to her, but instead what comes out is, "Whatever you say, Sayori…"

Why did I say that?

She giggles and seems oblivious. We continue our walk to school, the sun caressing the city streets and a soft breeze carrying the melodies of nearby birds — a perfect, tranquil day. As we draw closer, we begin to see other students walking as well, some alone and others with groups of friends. Soon after, the murmurs of other students joking and sharing their weekend stories float within earshot.

"By the way, have you decided on a club to join yet?" Sayori asks.

"A club? I told you already; I'm not interested in joining any clubs. I haven't been looking either." I don't know why I felt the need to lie. The truth is that I did find myself wanting to at least see what as out there, but every time I told myself that I would look into it, I would just … forget. I don't consider myself a forgetful person, especially when compared to Sayori, but for some reason when it came to this, it was a problem. Maybe I'm just embarrassed, and I want to save face?

Her brows furrow in confusion. "That's not true. You told me you would join a club this year!"

So much for that. I scratch my head and look away. "Did I … ?" Surely I would have remembered committing to something like that. Then again, I had caught myself blindly agreeing to things unintentionally; mainly when I was otherwise preoccupied with video games and anime. Like that one time, I ended up not only going with Sayori to the Hello Kitty convention, but I also did a cosplay with her. So … much … pink.

"Uh-huh! I remember because I was talking about how I'm worried that you won't learn how to socialize or have any skills before college. You can't just get by for the rest of your life by being a lazy bum." Sayori crossed her arms over her chest while giving me a worried look and stops walking. "Your happiness is really important to me, you know? You say you're happy now, but I'd die at the thought of you becoming a NEET in a few years because you're not used to the real world!"

Did she use the word NEET in a sentence? Who says that anymore?

"You trust me, right?" she continued. "Don't make me keep worrying about you."

Sayori is a sweet girl. Part of me wanted to think of another objection, but there was something about the way those blue eyes of hers looked at me that made me feel like she was staring into my soul. "Alright, alright," I relent. "I'll look at a few clubs if it makes you happy. No promises, though."

I'm not sure why I still feel the need to keep up this facade, but hopefully this time I'll remember to check some clubs out.

"Will you at least promise me you'll try a little?"

"Yeah, I guess I'll promise you that."

Sayori claps her hands together and stands on her toes, beaming. She may not seem like it at first glance, but Sayori had a unique charm about her that sometimes made it very difficult to refuse. We continue walking toward the school, and I feel a smile creep on my lips. I'm lucky to have someone care so much about me.

**Initialization at 17%**

I hear the bell ring to signal the end of the school day. I'm a little surprised; I don't even know where the day went. I try to think back to my classes, but it's all just … a blur. The faces of the teachers sort of melded together and my classmates looked like faceless drones. I must've zoned out pretty hard all day. Right?

I stare at the blackboard as something tugged at the back of my mind. There was something I was supposed to do today, but I have trouble remembering. I guess it wasn't that important; maybe it will come to me later. A blue skirt appears, blocking my view of the board. I look up to find a pair of ocean-blue eyes, returning my gaze.

"Sayori?" I look around and realize that we are the only two people in the classroom. How long have I been sitting here?

"I thought I'd catch you coming out of the classroom, but I saw you just sitting here and spacing out, so I came in. Honestly, you're worse than me sometimes, I'm impressed!" Sayori giggles.

Sayori has a point though. Spacing out has become a much more frequent problem for me lately. If this keeps up, I might have to get my head checked. Suddenly, without thinking, I blurt out, "You don't need to wait up for me if it's going to make you late to your club."

Clubs. That's what I was forgetting. But how did I remember to say something about it? This is starting to become unsettling.

"Well, I thought you could use some encouragement, so I thought, you know …" Sayori trailed off and looked down at her feet while she fidgeted.

"Know what?"

"That you could come to my club!"

"Sayori …"

"Yeah?" Sayori's eyes light up as she stares at me in excitement for my response. This doesn't sound like a bad idea. She's Vice President of the Literature Club if I remember correctly, which is a little odd seeing as how I don't think she's ever taken an interest in literature. I'm almost sure she only did it because she thought it would be fun to start a new club. Since she was the first one to show interest after the one who proposed the club that's most likely why she's Vice President. Now that I think about it, I've never had much interest in literature myself, so I don't know a whole lot about it.

I did promise to give it a shot, however, and her club seems just as good a place as any to start. Plus it would be nice to join a club where I already know someone instead of having to meet a bunch of strangers. Why not?

"There is no way I'm going to your club," I say flatly. I'm not sure who looked more stunned at that moment, Sayori or myself.

What is going on with me?

"Meanie!" Sayori pouts and pokes her index fingers together, and I feel bad. She seemed so excited at the thought of checking out her club, and now I've hurt her feelings.

When I open my mouth to apologize, instead I say, "Yeah. I'm going to the anime club."

"C'mon, please?" Sayori begs, giving me puppy-dog eyes. I've never wanted to slap some sense into myself more than that moment, but I can't control myself.

"Why do you care so much, anyway?"

"Well, I kind of told the club yesterday that I'd be bringing in a new member. Natsuki made cupcakes and everything … Ehehehe …." Sayori looks off to the side and pokes her fingers together again. I would have found it adorable if I didn't feel so bad for being such a jerk.

"Don't make promises you can't keep," I say coolly.

Why am I acting like this?

Before I know it, I continue with, "Fine. I'll stop by for a cupcake, okay?"

Sayori pumps a fist in the air before bouncing in triumph. "Yes! Let's go!" She takes me by the hand and leads me out of the classroom. As we round the corners and walk the halls, I can't help but rack my brain as to what's been going on with me today. I don't space out or forget things. I'm not always so mean to Sayori. I'm a good person. Right … ?

**Initialization at 24%**

The sound of Sayori swinging the classroom door open snaps me out of my trance. "Everyone! The new member is here!" Sayori called, pushing me into the room.

"Now wait for just a second, don't you think calling me 'new member' is a little-" My train of thought stops short as I see who all is in the room.

A tall, beautiful girl with gorgeous violet eyes with matching hair cascading from her back to her waist like a lavender waterfall approaches me. Her posture is excellent as she stands politely with her hands behind her back and a small smile on her lips before giving a respectful bow.

"Welcome to the Literature Club. It's a pleasure to meet you," she says. Her voice is delicate but refined; each word eloquently spoken. "Sayori always says nice things about you."

"Seriously? You brought a boy?" says a much smaller girl after practically stomping her way over to me. She has bright pink hair that falls just above her shoulders and styled with red pins and ribbons. This girl is much shorter than the other, and judging by her small frame, I find it surprising she isn't a middle school student. Despite her attitude, there is something I find charming about her. Her pink eyes slightly narrow as she puts her hands on her hips and mumbles, "Way to kill the atmosphere."

"Ah, what a nice surprise! Welcome to the club!" A third girl approaches me, and the moment I see those emerald-green eyes, I recognize her. Monika. She is one of the most popular and coveted girls in not just our class, but the whole school. Monika excels both academically and athletically; a rare combination made even more extraordinary by her beauty. A perfect trifecta. Her brunette ponytail flows to the hem of her skirt like silk, held perfectly in place by a pristine white bow atop her head. Her stunning eyes only comparable to the alluring smile she wore on her face that almost seemed to glow.

**Anomaly detected. Creating log …**


	2. Chapter 2

**02.**

Even though all three girls are wearing the same school uniform as everyone else, they all look positively radiant in their own unique ways. I gotta admit, this is not what I was expecting when Sayori first proposed this idea.

"What are you staring at?" the pink-haired girl snaps. "If you have something to say, just say it."

"S-Sorry …" is all I manage to come up with. Being the only boy in a room full of mostly strangers makes me feel a little awkward, even though the strangers are all beautiful.

The tall girl lets out a sigh and gives the short one a patronizing look. "Natsuki …"

The short girl, Natsuki apparently, huffs and crosses her arms across her small chest before looking off to the side. She's the one who made the cupcakes if I remember correctly. Sayori leans in close to whisper something in my ear.

"You can just ignore her when she gets moody," she says. How often does that happen exactly? Without skipping a beat, Sayori continues to introduce the other girls. "Anyway, this is Natsuki, always full of energy. And this is Yuri, the smartest in the club!"

Immediately, the tall one, Yuri, looks embarrassed. I notice her cheeks redden slightly as she looks away and fidgets with some of her purple locks. "D-Don't say things like that …" she says, barely above a whisper. She clearly looks uncomfortable with being the center of attention, even for a brief introduction.

"Ah … It's nice to meet both of you," I say with a smile of my own, trying to be polite. Natsuki just rolls her eyes, and for a moment I think I see a smile on Yuri before she covers her face with her hair and spins around to face away from me. Sayori draws my attention away from the two girls.

"It sounds like you already know Monika, is that right?" she asks.

"That's right," Monika chimes in. "It's great to see you again, Mal." She flashes me a sweet smile as she leans over a bit with her hands behind her back. We do technically know each other, but we rarely talked despite being in the same class last year. She was just as popular then as she is now. I always felt like she was out of my league, so I never took the initiative to start a conversation with her. Frankly, the fact that she even remembers me at all is surprising; there was nothing particularly remarkable that would have made me stand out from the rest of the class. I couldn't begin to imagine just how many students fight for her attention, especially the guys. So, having her smile at me so genuinely feels a lot like being noticed by a celebrity in a crowd.

"Y-You too, Monika," I stammer.

Smooth.

At this rate, everyone's gonna think I'm some weirdo and make Sayori look bad for dragging me here.

"Come sit down, Mal!" Sayori suggests. "We made room for you at the table, so you can sit next to Monika or me. I'll get the cupcakes!"

"Hey, I made them! I'll get them!" Natsuki says, stamping her foot. The sudden outburst startles Sayori a bit.

"Sorry, I got a little too excited," she apologizes, poking her fingers together with a crooked smile.

"Then how about I make some tea as well," Yuri suggests, shooting me a quick glance before walking toward the closet in the corner of the room.

Sayori takes me by the hand and leads me to a table that the girls have made by arranging some of the classroom desks together. I notice that it's been widened so that there is a space next to both Monika and Sayori. My eyes linger on the open seat beside Monika. She seemed genuinely happy to see me here at this club, so maybe now would be a good time to actually talk and get to know her. Or perhaps she's only being polite in the hopes that the club would get a new member.

I still feel awkward about being here, so I decide to sit next to Sayori. I'm sure Monika gets pestered by enough people throughout the day, she doesn't need me adding to that running tally. I watch as Natsuki grabs a plastic-wrapped tray while Yuri rummages through the closet to get tea ready. Soon enough, Natsuki marches back to the table, tray in hand and beaming with pride.

"Okaaaay, are you ready?" she asks with a wide grin. With a flourish, she unveils her latest culinary creation. "Ta-da!"

The reveal is met with gasps from Sayori and Monika, and I gotta say it was definitely well-deserved. A dozen white, fluffy cupcakes sat beneath the foil decorated to look like little cats. The icing looked smooth and creamy, with the whiskers applied with a tremendously steady hand and spaced perfectly on either side of the adorable little noses, with tiny chocolate chips used for the ears. The design was simple, yet expertly crafted. It looks so flawless I'd go so far as to say that they came from a factory if I didn't know any better.

"So cuuuute!" Sayori sings, her hands clenched into fists from excitement.

"I had no idea you were so good at baking Natsuki," says Monika.

"Well, you know," chuckles Natsuki. She looks off to the side as she places a hand on her hip as if to appear bashful from the flattery, but her smile betrays her true feelings. "Just hurry and take one!"  
Sayori grabs one first, then Monika, and then myself. Sayori is the first to take a bite and express her delight.

"It's delicious!" she exclaims. In her eagerness, Sayori managed to get icing all over her face as crumbs spill from her mouth while speaking with her mouth full. Meanwhile, I turn the cupcake around in my hands, trying to figure out the best approach to attack. Granted, the cupcake is the same from all angles, but I feel as though I've embarrassed myself enough already, no need to make myself look too eager.

It's then that I notice Natsuki stealing glances in my direction. Did Sayori manage to spit some icing on my face when she shouted? I try and be discreet about checking by rubbing my face in a way that makes it look like I'm pondering. Thankfully I don't feel any icing. Natsuki is quiet. I wonder if she's waiting for me to take a bite?

I decide to sink my teeth into the dessert. Just as I thought, the icing is sweet and full of flavor, not like the cheap icing that tastes grainy and overly sugary. This is definitely homemade and not store-bought. It is evident that she spent a great deal of time and care into making these cupcakes for everyone. "It's delicious. Thank you Natsuki," I say with a smile, making sure I don't have cupcake crumbs in my teeth first.

She folds her arms over her chest and breaks her gaze from me. "W-Why are you thanking me? It's not like I …" she stops abruptly and huffs. "… made them for you or anything." The feeling of deja vu suddenly sweeps over me again like it did this morning with Sayori. I know I've never met Natsuki before, let alone try one of her cupcakes, so why does this feel so familiar?

**Initialization at 30%**

"But I thought you technically did? At least that's what Sayori-" Before I'm able to finish that thought, Natsuki cuts me off.

"Well, maybe!" she blurts, stamping her foot and pouting. I notice a slight bit of pink in her cheeks as she looks away to try and hide it. "But not for, y-you know, you! Dummy …"

"Um … okay?" I try to wrap my head around her weird logic, but she seems to dismiss the conversation by snatching a cupcake from the tray and stomping off to her seat at the table to eat it before shooting me one last glance.

How adorable.

Almost as if on cue, Yuri returns with a full tea set. She carefully places a teacup in front of each of us before setting down the teapot next to the cupcake tray.

"You keep a whole tea set in this classroom?" I ask. It seems like a lot of trouble to go through considering that students can simply buy a bottle from the vending machines across campus.

"Don't worry, the teachers gave us permission. After all, doesn't a nice hot cup of tea help you enjoy a good book?" Yuri asks softly.

"Ah … I-I guess …" The truth is I've never even considered drinking tea while reading anything. Mostly because the only things I tend to read are mangas, and I feel like that would be a bit silly to do.

Monika giggles. "Don't let yourself get intimidated, Yuri's just trying to impress you." Monika winks at me with a smile. I'm not sure who feels more embarrassed, Yuri, or me.

"Eh?! T-That's not …" Yuri trails off, mumbling something incoherent to herself as she immediately looks down at her teacup. I notice her tracing the rim with her finger, with a look of utter humiliation on her face. "I meant that, you know …"

I'm not sure if Monika meant to make Yuri feel that way, but I feel a knot in my stomach seeing such a pretty girl get so flustered. "I believe you," I say, trying to reassure Yuri. "Well, tea and reading might not be a pastime for me, but I at least enjoy tea."

"I'm glad …" she replies. Yuri doesn't lift her eyes from her cup, but I can see a faint smile through her purple tresses. Monika raises an eyebrow, and I swear that I caught a glimpse of jealousy in those green eyes, but just as soon as it's there, it vanishes behind her smile.

"So, what made you consider the Literature Club?" she asks.

A block of ice forms in my gut. "Uh …" I begin, as I clear my throat. I was afraid of this question. I get the feeling that telling the truth about Sayori dragging me here wouldn't be a good idea. "Well, I haven't joined any clubs yet, and Sayori seemed really happy here, so …"

"That's okay, don't be embarrassed! We'll make sure you feel right at home, okay?" says Monika. I'm not sure if she's sincere or if that's her way of letting me know that she thinks I'm lying; either way, she played it off well. "As president of the Literature Club, it's my duty to make the club fun and exciting for everyone!"

"Monika I'm surprised. How come you decided to open your own club?" I ask, eager to steer the conversation away from myself. "You could probably be a board member for any of the major clubs. Weren't you a leader of the debate club last year?"

Monika smirks as she leans forward on the table, twirling a lock of her silky brunette hair with her finger. "Ahaha, well, you know … to be honest, I can't stand all of the politics around the major clubs. It feels like nothing but arguing about the budget and publicity and how to prepare for events … I'd much rather take something I personally enjoy and make something special out of it. Plus, if it encourages others to get into literature, then I'm fulfilling that dream!"

The entire time she speaks, I see Monika's eyes fixated on my face. At first, it seems like she's completely enamored with me like there is nobody else in the class, but the longer I stare back at her, the more it looks like she's searching my face for something. Do the other girls really not notice what's going on here?

"Monika really is a great leader!" Sayori blurts. Yuri nods in agreement.

I sigh internally.

"Then I'm surprised there aren't more people in the club yet. It must be hard to start a new club," I say. Part of me wants to believe I'm imagining things, so maybe I should push the thought out of my mind.  
Monika sips on her tea. "You could put it that way," she says. "Not many people are very interested in putting out all the effort to start something brand new … Especially when it comes to something that doesn't grab your attention, like literature. You have to work hard to convince people that you're both fun and worthwhile, but it makes the school events like the culture festival that much more important. I'm confident that we can grow this club before we all graduate. Right, everyone?"

"Yeah!" Sayori cheers with another mouthful of cupcake, spraying crumbs all over the area in front of her.

"We'll do our best," Yuri says with a small smile.

"You know it!" Natsuki says with a grin.

Everyone enthusiastically agrees. I look at each of their beautiful, smiling faces, all of them eager to see this club succeed in the years to come. It's clear to me that Monika worked hard to find these three to start her club, which must be why the prospect of a new member joining is so exciting to them.

So why do I feel like there is something gravely wrong with this picture? Like there's something deep in my mind that's trying to claw its way out in a frenzied panic and warn me?

Am I listening to myself right now? I sound like a crazy person. Next thing I know I'm gonna start seeing secret messages written in the ceiling tiles. I need to get it together and stop letting my imagination get the better of me. There's nothing weird or unusual going on, just a bunch of lovely girls in an after-school club wanting a new member to join. That's all.

Though I'm not sure I can keep up with their level of enthusiasm about literature.

**Initialization at 41%**

"So, Mal, what kinds of things do you like to read?" Yuri asks. I notice that she's scooted herself closer to the table now, she must have done it when I was staring at Monika.

"Well … ah …" Thinking back, I haven't read very much these past few years, and what little I did read probably wouldn't interest someone as sophisticated as Yuri. I briefly consider making something up, but I'm worried that I'll name something she's actually read and will end up asking me more questions about it. "…Manga…." I mutter quietly. I feel like I would have had more dignity admitting that I still draw pictures with crayons.

I notice Natsuki perk up. She has a look on her face like she wants to say something, but decides against it. Yuri, on the other hand, looks somewhat disappointed. "N-Not much of a reader, I guess …" she says, tracing the rim of her teacup in dismay.

"W-Well that can change …" I stammer. I never had the chance to talk to someone as interesting as Yuri before, and I wasn't about to blow it by not trying new things. After all, that's why I'm here, isn't it? "What about you, Yuri? What do you like to read?"

"Well, let's see …" Yuri closes her eyes, gathering her thoughts. There are a few moments of noticeable silence before she continues. "My favorites are usually novels that build deep and complex fantasy worlds. The level of creativity and craftsmanship behind them is amazing to me, and telling a good story in such an alien world is equally impressive. I'm amazed when an author can completely and utterly immerse their readers into a universe that was completely built from the ground up in their mind. I can't even begin to imagine the time and effort it must take to construct elaborate landscapes and intriguing creatures that only exist in the realm of imagination."

Listening to Yuri talk about books was … enchanting. She seemed so reserved and timid from the moment I walked in, but seeing her eyes light up, it's clear to me that she finds more comfort in books instead of people. Yuri is much more articulate than before, her words passing through her lips effortlessly — like someone who doesn't get an opportunity to share them often. I find myself feeling sad for her. I know she's in the Literature Club, but I can't help but wonder if the other girls even give her a chance to talk about what she likes.

"But you know, I like a lot of things," Yuri continues. "Stories with deep psychological elements usually immerse me as well. Isn't it incredible how a writer can so deliberately take advantage of your own lack of imagination to completely throw you for a loop? Anyway, I've also been reading a lot of horror lately."

"Ah, I read a horror book once …" I say, trying to keep up. This is already proving to be harder than I anticipated. She's probably going to think I'm a boring loser that hasn't matured at all since elementary school by the end of the day.

"Really? I wouldn't have expected that Yuri," Monika chimes in. "For someone as gentle as you …"

This only serves to reinforce my initial impression that nobody has really gotten to know Yuri despite being a member of a club that's supposed to have people who share some sort of common ground. On the other hand, I'm also a prospect, so I'm not sure if I'm the pot or the kettle in this situation.

"I guess you could say that," Yuri replies. "If a story makes me think, or takes me to another world, then I really can't put it down. Surreal horror is often very successful at changing the way you look at the world, if only for a brief moment."

Natsuki shudders. "Ugh, I hate horror …" she says.

"Oh? Why is that?" Yuri asks.

"I just …" Natsuki glances over to me for a split second before looking away. "Never mind."

"That's right, you usually like to write about cute things, don't you, Natsuki?" Monika says with a laugh. Natsuki goes rigid as her eyes widen and cheeks get as pink as her hair.

"W-What?! What gives you that idea?" she says, looking back over again at me.

"You left a piece of scrap paper behind after our last club meeting," Monika points out. "It looked like you were working on a poem called—"

"Don't say it out loud!" Natsuki interrupts, her cheeks getting hotter by the second. "And give that back!"

"Fine, fine," Monika chuckles, triumphant. I can't tell if she's teasing or not.

"Ehehe, your cupcakes, your poems …everything you do is as cute as you are!" Sayori sings, before scooting her chair beside Natsuki and putting an arm around her shoulder.

"I'm not cute!" Natsuki shouts, wiggling out from Sayori's arm. By now Natsuki's cheeks are so hot I swear I can hear them sizzling.

It's totally cute.

"Natsuki, you write your own poems?" I ask, trying to find a topic other than her cuteness.

"Eh? Well, I guess I sometimes do. Why do you care?" she replies.

"I think that's impressive. Why don't you share them sometime?" I'm hoping that using a word other than "cute" will make Natsuki open up a bit more. Maybe she doesn't want to be seen as just cute.

"N-No!" Natsuki snaps, looking away. "You wouldn't…like them…" Her tone is much softer now, almost … shy?

"Do you not feel confident in your writing yet?" As if I'm one to talk. I think the last time I actually wrote something that wasn't a class assignment was a letter to Santa.

"I understand how Natsuki feels," says Yuri. "Sharing that level of writing takes more than just confidence. The truest form of writing is writing to oneself. You must be willing to open up to your readers, exposing your vulnerabilities and showing even the deepest reaches of your heart."

"Do you have writing experience too, Yuri?" Monika asks. I find the question strange. What have these girls been doing for the president to not know the answer to that question already? "Maybe if you share some of your work, you can set an example and help Natsuki feel comfortable enough to share hers."

I think that's a great idea, but Yuri's silence leads me to believe that she disagrees as she nervously fidgets with what's left of her cupcake.

"Awww … I wanted to read everyone's poems …" Sayori says, disappointed. An awkward silence follows as I simply look at all of the girls. I rack my brain to come up with some sort of suggestion, but I come up empty. It's at that moment that I see a gleam in Monika's eyes.

"Okay! I have an idea, everyone!" she says with cheer. Sayori looks at Monika with eyes the size of dinner plates in anticipation, while Natsuki tilts her head to the side with raised eyebrows and Yuri wears a quizzical look. "Let's all go home and write a poem of our own! Then, next time we meet, we'll all share them with each other. That way, everyone is even."

A chill runs through my body. I've never written a poem before, and the thought of having to show it to these girls for them to critique is enough to make my stomach twist. I look over and see that Yuri and Natsuki feel the same way. Natsuki mumbles something I can't make out as she crosses her arms over her chest while Yuri silently traces the rim of her teacup as her purple tresses obscure her face.

Sayori, of course, has the opposite reaction. Her face brightens as it splits into a huge grin. "Yeah! Let's do it!" she cheers.

"Plus, now that we have a new member, I think it will help us all get a little more comfortable with each other, and strengthen the bond of the club," Monika says. "Isn't that right, Mal?" She smiles warmly at me.

For a moment, I'm enchanted by the way her emerald pools look at me. Having someone so idolized by the rest of the school actually seem excited for someone like me to be around is uplifting. Of course, that doesn't stop my next words from leaving my mouth.

"I never said I would join this club." Like earlier this morning, my response felt automated, cold even. I feel a pressure In my head, like someone urging me to insist that I still have no interest in being a member and that I am merely humoring Sayori by checking out her club. As the words begin to form, I see the dejected looks on each of their faces.

This has got to stop.

"Sayori may have convinced me to stop by, but I never made any decision," I continue. The more I try and resist, the stronger the pressure feels. "I still have other clubs to look at and … um …"

I lose my train of thought. A low, droning rumble rings in my ears while my head feels ready to burst. I look down at the remaining cupcakes, and then into my tea where I can see my reflection on the surface. I shift my gaze up towards the girls, who all look crestfallen at this point. They all put so much effort into making me feel welcome and were so excited to meet me. I won't let it be for nothing.

"You know what? Forget the other clubs. Count me in," I say, having to muster up all the mental strength I could to get the words out. The droning sound turns into a screech before going silent as the pressure in my head vanishes almost instantly.

**Anomaly detected. Creating log …**

For a moment, I thought I went deaf until I hear Sayori cheering.

"Yesss! I'm so happy!" she exclaims, nearly knocking me to the ground as she tackles me into a bear hug before jumping up and down in her seat. I look over her shoulder to see Yuri looking relieved and Natsuki trying to hide her excitement with a look of indifference.

Monika, however, stares at me with narrow eyes and furrowed brows. She looks as though she's searching my face for something like before. I suppose she caught me looking, as her expression quickly returned to her usual picture-perfect smile.

"Then that makes it official! Welcome to the Literature Club, Mal!" she says.

The others clap; it seems like they didn't notice what I saw — if I even saw it at all.

"Okay, everyone!" Monika announces. "I think that we can officially end today's meeting on a good note. Don't forget tonight's assignment. Write a poem to bring to the next meeting, so we can all share!" Monika looks over at me once again. "Mal, I look forward to seeing how you express yourself." She giggles.

I swallow hard. Great. If they didn't think I was a moron when it came to literature now, they were definitely going to think so tomorrow afternoon. The sounds of the girls chit-chatting as they clean up fades as I feel the anxiety swell in my chest.

A hand rests on my shoulder. I snap out of my daze and look to see Sayori. "Hey, since we're both here, do you want to walk home together?" This is the first time in months that we will have had the opportunity. It sounds nice.

"Sure thing. Ready when you are," I say. We wave goodbye to the other girls before we leave.

As we walk home, Sayori yammers on about her classes, what she ate for lunch, the weird mole that one of her new transfer students has on his nose, the gum that she stepped in while walking to her next class, the gross smell coming from one of the stalls in the girls' room, and the hangnail she was finally able to get rid of after picking at it all day.

I don't remember if she always talked this much, or if she feels like she has to make up for lost time. Thankfully, I still remember when to nod and use the occasional, "Is that so?" to make it seem like I'm actually listening. I do manage to hear one thing she said in particular, though:

"Thanks for joining the club, Mal. Not just because I'm Vice President, but because we can walk home together again. I miss talking to you about my day after school, and I'm never able to tell you about it the next morning either. I'm happy to have you as a friend."

Aww.

"I feel the same way. I guess I didn't realize how much I miss having someone to walk with until today." By now we've reached our homes. Sayori gives me a tight hug before heading inside.

I make my way towards my room, grabbing a snack from the fridge before getting settled upstairs. I pull out my notebook and open it to a blank page as I reach for a pencil. Alright, time to get started. All I have to do is express myself like Monika said. How hard could it be?

Two hours later and I haven't written a single word. They're going to eat me alive tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

**03\. **

**Initialization at 54%**

I wake up the next morning with a start. Someone is knocking on my door. I throw the bed covers off of myself and put on some pajama pants, opting to remain shirtless. As I walk out of my room to answer the door, I catch a glimpse of the piece of paper on my desk from last night. I stop to examine it.

Something strange happened last night. After staring at a blank page for hours, I could feel my eyelids get heavy with sleep. I tried taking a moment to close my eyes and clear my mind like Yuri did when talking about her favorite books.

Then I started hearing voices.

Not other people's voices, but my voice. It was my voice, but it wasn't my thoughts. There were so many of them I couldn't make sense of what they were saying. Some of them sounded like they were trying to tell me something, some sounded like conversations that I've never had.

Others sounded horrifying. Screams, pleading, hateful words, things that I can't imagine myself possibly saying.

I should have been freaked out … but I wasn't. For whatever reason, I mentally reached out and grabbed the first thing my mind touched; it was like grasping for a ledge in the midst of a hurricane at night. When I did, the other voices stopped, and I could hear one as clear as day. I put my pencil to paper and wrote what it said before passing out from exhaustion. Apparently, I managed to make it from my desk to my bed at some point and get undressed, but I don't remember doing any of that.

I thought it was all a dream, but the words on the page prove otherwise.

There's another knock on the front door. I put the poem back on my desk and head downstairs. To my surprise, it's Sayori, and she's dressed for school.

"Morning sleepyhead!" she says. How is she awake before I am? "Looks like I beat you to—" she trails off and stares at me, her blue eyes fixated on my bare chest, and I see that her cheeks start to match her hair.

"How are you so bubbly this early in the morning?" I ask, acting like I don't notice what she's doing while still rubbing the sleep from my eyes.

"I wanna start the day! The sooner we go to school, then the sooner we go to Literature Club together!" Sayori grins wide, still blushing. "Now hurry up and get dressed!"

Sayori invites herself inside and brushes past me before jumping on the couch in my living room. I head upstairs and shower, my mind thinking back to what happened last night. I replay it in my head as I get ready for school, taking extra care to remember to bring the poem that I wrote.

By the time I'm downstairs, Sayori has already raided my fridge. "You ready?" she asks with a mouthful of lunchmeat and cheese.

I wipe the pieces of food off of her mouth before I nod with a smile. For someone that spends all their time thinking about others, Sayori really doesn't seem to give herself much attention. I suppose it's good that she has me to look out for her.

Together we head out and make our way towards the school. Sayori hums a tune to herself while I walk in silence. Do I need to see a therapist? Could those voices have something to do with the way I've been acting lately?

I continue to ponder over these questions throughout the rest of my day at school. I pay little attention to my teachers as I read over my poem repeatedly. Soon enough, classes are over, and I make my way over to the literature club. Monika is the first to notice me walk through the door.

"Hi again, Mal!" she says cheerfully. Monika gives me a tender smile as she stands with her arms behind her back. "Glad to see we didn't scare you off yesterday." She winks.

"No worries," I reply, returning her smile. "This may be a little different for me, but I'm a man of my word." Scanning the room, I see that I'm the last to arrive; everyone else is already hanging out.

Yuri walks over after hearing Monika say my name, her long lavender locks billowing behind her gracefully. "Thanks for keeping your promise, Mal. I hope this isn't too overwhelming of a commitment for you," she says. "Making you dive headfirst into literature when you're not accustomed to it …"

Natsuki jumps out from behind Yuri. "Oh come on! Like he deserves any slack. Sayori told me you didn't even wanna join any clubs this year!" Natsuki puts her fists on her hips. "Last year too! I don't know if you plan to just come hang out or what, but if you don't take us seriously then you won't hear the end of it!" So sassy. In a way, I actually like it.

Monika gets that dark look on her face again before it vanishes behind her flawless smile. "Natsuki, you certainly have a big mouth for someone who keeps her manga collection in the clubroom," she giggles.

Natsuki is humiliated. I look over at Yuri and see that she's averted her gaze to the floor while Natsuki stammers. The pink-haired girl was red in the face from embarrassment as she looks over at me before finally blurting, "Manga is literature!"

Her rebuttal seems to have no effect on Monika however, who simply smirks triumphantly as Natsuki takes a seat in defeat. Monika looks over at me, twirling her ponytail with her fingers with an innocent, yet smug look on her face. Was she trying to defend me just now? Even if she was, that was really harsh. Did anyone else even notice what happened?

"Don't worry everyone, Mal always gives it his best as long as he's having fun!" Sayori cheers as she strolls past a sulking Natsuki.

I resist the urge to facepalm. So sweet, yet so dense.

"He helps me with busywork without me even asking. Like cooking, cleaning my room, doing my laundry, cutting my grass …" Sayori continues.

Yuri runs her fingers through her hair as she looks over at me. "How dependable …" she says quietly. She closes her eyes and smiles to herself; I feel a strong tug in my chest as I wonder what she could be thinking.

Wonder quickly turns to panic, however. Does Yuri think that we're secretly dating? The thought of this bothers me more than I thought it would. Not because I don't like Sayori, but because I don't want Yuri to think I'm seeing anyone. I mean, for all I know she could be seeing someone, but still. I just … I don't know. I want to get to know her, and I worry that she won't want to hang out with me if she thinks I'm dating someone or something.

Even though we just met yesterday.

And we're both in the same club now.

And we're already hanging out, sort of.

… Yeah.

"Sayori, that's only because your room is so messy it's distracting. It's hard to get any work done. Also, you almost set your house on fire once," I say.

Sayori pokes her index fingers together and smiles nervously. "Is that so … hehe hehe …"

"You two are really good friends, aren't you?" Yuri says. "I might be a little jealous."

Great. I made it worse.

"How come? You and Mal can become good friends too!"

I can see the heat rise in Yuri's cheeks at the suggestion before she turns her face away and hides behind her hair. "O-Oh, I … um …" she stutters.

To Yuri, it probably sounded like Sayori is suggesting that we have a polyamorous relationship. Of course, I know that Sayori probably can't even spell polyamorous.

That doesn't make the situation any less awkward for me.

"Oh, oh! Yuri even brought you something today, you know!" Sayori says, jumping on her toes in excitement.

"Sayori!" Yuri squeaks. Her lavender eyes dart back to me, as she clutches her hands together over her chest in panic.

"Me? Really?" I ask. I didn't think I left enough of an impression to warrant a gift.

"Well …" Yuri begins.

"Don't be shy!" Sayori says, beaming. She seems more excited than I am about getting this gift.

"It's nothing, really …" Yuri starts to fidget.

"What is it?" I ask.

"N-Nevermind …" Yuri covers her face with her bangs, but I can still see her red cheeks through the strands of hair. "Sayori made it sound like a big deal when it's really not …"

"Hey, don't worry about it," I say softly. "I wasn't expecting anything at all in the first place, so any nice gesture from you is a pleasant surprise. It'll make me happy, no matter what." It's clear to me that even the slightest bit of attention is difficult for her to deal with. Maybe playing down my expectations will help make things better for her.

Please don't think I'm weird.

"I-Is that so …?" Yuri whispers, slowly turning her head to face me again. This is encouraging.

"Yeah. I won't make it a big deal if you don't want it to be." I give her the friendliest smile that I can muster without looking like a crazy person.

"Alright …" She reaches into her bag and pulls out a book. "I didn't want you to feel left out, so I picked out a book I thought you might enjoy. It's a short read, so it should keep your attention, even if you don't usually read. Afterward, we could … you know … discuss it … if you wanted." Yuri is nervous again; I notice her hands trembling slightly as she extends the book out to me.

I look at the book, then back up to her purple eyes, unsure of what to say. After just a brief conversation yesterday she's already trying to bridge the gap between us. Is she this considerate of everyone that she meets or just me? Yuri breaks eye contact with me and starts to blush again; I realize I've been staring too long.

I place my hands over hers before she changes her mind about the book. They feel soft and delicate like an exquisite flower that's been growing in a secluded meadow. Her trembling stops. "Yuri, thank you. I'll definitely read this." I say, my hands lingering on hers a bit longer before I slowly slide the book out of her hands.

Yuri smiles and bites her lower lip. She still doesn't make eye contact. "You can read it at your own pace. I look forward to hearing what you think," she says before she takes a seat at an empty desk. Yuri plays with her hair on her desk, a smile still on her face before reaching back into her bag to pull out another book.

**Initialization at 67%**

I look around the room, expecting Monika to have some kind of activities planned for the club today, but to my surprise, this doesn't seem to be the case. Monika and Sayori look to be having a conversation of some kind, while Natsuki rummages through the closet and Yuri is reading her book. None of them seem like they want to be interrupted, so I take a seat at another desk.

After I sit down, I realize just how tired I am. I don't remember what time I went to bed last night, but it must have been pretty late. Not to mention that the sleep I did get wasn't very good. I start to doze off in my seat only to be awoken a few minutes later by someone breathing on my face.

I open my eyes to find Sayori's face inches away from my own. She startles me, and I almost fall out of my chair, while Sayori laughs. "What are you doing falling asleep? This isn't the napping club you know," she says.

"Napping club sounds pretty great actually," I tease. "I'm surprised you're not VP of that club."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You still oversleep, don't you? Aside from this morning, how many times have you actually woken up and made it to school on time?"

"That's … it's a secret!" she argues, crossing her arms over her chest with a pout.

"Sure it is," I say sarcastically.

"C'mooonnn, can't you give me the benefit of the doubt?" she pleads.

"I could if it wasn't written all over you."

Sayori examines herself. "Where is it written on me?"

I sigh. "Even though you woke up on time today, you still rushed to get yourself ready. Look, your hair is sticking out all around here." Sayori jumps a bit as I run my fingertips down the side of her hair to try and straighten it out. Her hair feels like fine silk, but it has tangles and knots from her pillow that are difficult to work out with my fingers. "Man, you really need a brush for this bird's nest you got going on here."

I notice her cheeks getting warm. "My hair is just hard to get right."

"I've fixed your hair enough times to know that's not true. Your bow isn't straight either. There's also a toothpaste stain on your collar!" I try and wipe the stain with my finger. "I can't believe I didn't notice that this morning."

"But nobody is gonna notice that …" she protests.

"If I've noticed it, then other people will. They just won't say anything to you because they don't want to embarrass you. To me, letting my friend walk around with a stain on their uniform is more embarrassing."

"You big meanie," Sayori pouts.

"You don't even keep your blazer buttoned up. Seriously Sayori, why do you think you don't have a boyfriend yet?"

"That's super mean, Mal!" Sayori gasps. I guess that one actually hurt. That didn't come out right.

"Sorry, but you'll thank me later …" I say in a softer tone. I begin to button her blazer starting from the bottom. "Once you see how much better it looks, you'll change your mind."  
Sayori giggles a bit to herself.

"What's so funny?" I ask.

"I was just thinking about how weird it is to have a friend who does these kinds of things." I suppose she's right. I don't know of anyone else that would do this for their friends. I always felt close to Sayori though, and despite teasing her sometimes, she's special to me. It would be hard for me to imagine my life without her.

Sayori puts her hands behind her back and watches me button her blazer for a few moments. "It's okay though. I'm glad we have this relationship. Aren't you?"

I'm too busy trying to fasten the button near her chest to answer. It doesn't want to close properly. "Does this thing even fit you?"

Sayori giggles. "It did when I bought it."

I sigh. "If you ever buttoned it, you would have noticed sooner that it doesn't fit you anymore." I see that she's beaming. "What are you smiling about?"

"My boobs got bigger again!" she cheers.

"W-What?!" I look around to see if anyone heard. Thankfully they didn't, but that doesn't stop me from blushing. It wasn't until she made that comment that I realized my hands are practically on her breasts while I'm fumbling with the button. I quickly get it fastened before anyone starts to think I'm feeling her up.

"There, you look much better now," I say, taking a step back to admire my handiwork. I notice that I never really took the time to just look at Sayori before. We had missed each other going to and from school because of her sleep schedule and the literature club, so it had been a while since I had a chance to really admire her. Despite her messy appearance sometimes, she's grown to be a rather beautiful young lady, and her innocence only adds to her charm. I'm lucky to have her in my life.

Sayori checks herself out and starts to fidget. "It's so stuffy! I don't like it." She quickly unbuttons her blazer and shakes it out before adjusting her vest and bra. "This is much better." As much as I don't want to admit it, I actually agree. This look suits her more.

She holds her arms out and twirls while she giggles, "So if I keep this unbuttoned, then I won't get a boyfriend, right?"

I raise a brow. "Why are you saying that like it's a good thing?"

Sayori gets a sad look on her face. "Because … if I had a boyfriend, he wouldn't let you do things like this. Besides, you take care of me better than anyone else does … so I'm leaving it unbuttoned." Her cheeks get a bit pink as she says the last part. I smile.

"Well, try and remember to get up on time at least then," I say.

"Only if you remember to go to bed earlier!"

I laugh, "Fine, whatever you say." Part of me wants to tell her about what happened last night, but I don't think she would understand.

"I guess we really do take care of each other. Maybe you can come wake me up in the morning next time," Sayori says with a wink.

"We'll see," I reply with a wink of my own. I watch Sayori cheerfully skip away towards Monika. I turn to see Yuri peering over her book to look at me. The moment our eyes met, she quickly pretended to resume reading. How cute.

I make my way over to her desk while pretending to wander aimlessly. As I get closer, I hear Yuri scoot her chair to get a better look at me. I look over at her again, and our eyes meet once more. As expected, she buried her face behind her book.

"Sorry, I don't mean to be a distraction," I say with a smirk. "I should leave you alone."

"N-NO!" Yuri says loudly, closing her book. She suddenly puts her hand over her mouth and looks horrified. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to shout. W-What I meant to say was … um … well …" She continues to fumble over her words, and I feel kinda bad.

"I'm the one who should be sorry. I was just teasing. I actually came over because I wanted to see what you were doing," I say.

"Oh … really?" she replies. I nod.

"May I sit beside you?" I feel like she's the type who likes her space; otherwise, I would have just sat down. Yuri nods and plays with her hair absentmindedly. As I take a seat at a desk beside her, I notice something about the book. "Is that the same book that you gave me earlier?"

The book is leather-bound with gilded pages and bore a single ominous red eye on the cover. Looking at it makes me feel uncomfortable. There is no title or author's name anywhere on the cover or spine. Just that eye …

**Anomaly detected. Creating log**** …**

**Warning: Exceeding maximum**** anomaly threshold will activate Harbinger Failsafe Protocol.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's note:**

**Hey everyone. Sorry for the long delay in getting this next chapter uploaded. I've had a lot of obstacles in my personal life, but now that the dust has finally settled, I will be sticking to a schedule of uploading a new chapter every two weeks or so. I thank you all for your interest in this fanfic, and I'm excited to share more of it with you! **

**04.**

"Yes, it's the same book. I just wanted to re-read some of it," Yuri says. "N-Not for any particular reason, of course!" She laughs nervously.

"That book looks unique, though. How did you manage to get two of them?" I ask.

"Ah, well, when I stopped at the bookstore yesterday … no, that's not what I meant … um … I just happened to buy two of them," she replies.

It's evident that there's something she's not telling me, but I decide to let it go. "I see. Well, I look forward to reading it!"

"I'm glad. Once it starts to pick up, you might have a hard time putting it down. It's a very engaging and relatable story!"

"Is that so? What's it about?" Now I'm curious as to how something so scary looking could be relatable.

"Well …" Yuri strokes the book's cover as she gathers her thoughts. "Basically it's about this girl in high school who moves in with her long-lost younger sister, but as soon as she does so, her life gets extraordinary. She gets targeted by these people who escaped from a human experiment prison, and while her life is in danger, she needs to desperately choose who to trust. No matter what she does, she ends up destroying most of her relationships, and her life starts to fall apart."

Holy hell. She finds this relatable? How can someone so beautiful find common ground with a character in a story like that? Did someone hurt her? I must have had a surprised look on my face, as Yuri giggles softly all of a sudden.

"Are you not a fan of that sort of thing, Mal?" she asks. Is … is she teasing me now?

"N-no, it's not that … I mean, I can definitely enjoy these kinds of stories, so don't worry," I say.

"I hope so …" Yuri opens the book and fans the pages with her thumb. "It's just those kinds of stories challenge you to look at life from a strange new perspective. When horrible things happen, not just because someone wants to be evil but because they have their own goals or their own philosophy that they believe in. Then suddenly, when you thought you related to the protagonist, they're made out to be the naive one for letting their one-sided morals interfere with the villain's plans."

Yuri pauses and looks over at me. "I'm … I'm rambling again, aren't I? I'm sorry …" She sets the book down and twirls her hair around her fingers, breaking eye contact with me.  
"Hey, don't apologize …" I say softly, scooting my chair closer to her. "I haven't lost interest or anything."

"Well … I guess it's alright then." Yuri looks at me from the corner of her eye. "But I feel like I should let you know that I have this problem. When I let things like books and writing fill my thoughts … I kind of forget to pay attention to other people. So I'm sorry if I end up saying something strange!" She turns her body to face me. "Also, please stop me if I start talking too much!"

"That's enough," I say firmly. It makes perfect sense now. Yuri is so introverted because people have made her feel like her passions were boring or annoying. They've shut her down whenever she got carried away talking about things that she likes. So now, she feels the need to apologize whenever she gets too excited about something.

I won't stand for that.

"Listening to you speak is remarkable; don't ever apologize for it. I may not have read anywhere near as much as you have, but I can tell that you're the best person to help me broaden my horizons. You're passionate about reading; the least I can do is listen. This is the literature club, after all." I'm not sure where this conviction came from, but it feels good.

Yuri looks speechless, something I don't think she's used to feeling. Nobody may have ever validated her like that before. After a long pause, she finally says, "Y-Yes, well, you are correct."

"Great!" I reply. "Well, there's no time like the present. Why don't I get started on the book now?" Yuri looks panicked at the suggestion.

"What? Y-You don't have to …" she protests.

I can't help but laugh at how cute she's being. "I know I don't have to. Just a moment ago, you said you were looking forward to it, so that makes me _want_ to."

Yuri's cheeks heat up as she tries to think of an argument. I smirk while I reach into my bag for the book. Once it's in my hand, I decide to be bold.

"This seat should be fine, right?" I ask. Without bothering to wait for her answer, I move to an open chair that's closer to her, so that we will have to share desk space. Yuri is a bit startled and covers her mouth to muffle a small squeak. At first, I worry that I overstepped her boundaries, but thankfully she nods. I feel my heart leap with confidence.

"Are you sure?" I ask slyly, leaning on her desk. "You seem a bit apprehensive."

"T-That's …" Yuri begins, her cheeks getting redder by the moment. She turns away and takes a deep breath. "It's not that I don't want you to. It's just that I'm not very used to it. That is, reading in company with someone. Nobody has really … offered before."

For a moment, I feel an ache in my chest when she says this. The thought of her being alone all the time makes me sorrowful. "I see … well, just tell me if I end up distracting you or anything." I say, leaning back in my seat. Was I inconsiderate? Maybe I should have realized I was letting myself get carried away.

I open the book to the prologue and look over the cover at Yuri to find that although she has her book open, it seems like she's looking through the pages rather than at them. I see her smile through her lavender locks and bite her lip.

Maybe I wasn't inconsiderate after all.

I smile to myself and begin to read. It doesn't take long for me to realize what Yuri means about reading with company. I can feel her presence beside me even though she's just in the corner of my eye. I find myself more interested in stealing glances at Yuri than I am reading this book. At this rate, I'll never finish it.

I lay the book flat on her desk to try and resist the temptation to make myself look like a creep by staring at the beautiful violet-haired woman beside me. After a few moments, I hear the sound of her chair scooting closer to me. I glance over and see that she's not looking at her own book, but mine.

"Sorry!" Yuri says, embarrassed. "I was just … um …"

"You really apologize a lot, don't you?" I laugh.

"I do?" She looks off to the side. "I don't mean to. Sorry … I mean—" I see her face redden before she buries it in her hands.

I laugh again. "This might work a little better. Reading upside-down can't be easy." I pull another desk beside Yuri's to make more room, while I slide my chair to sit side-by-side with her. I put my book between the two of us. "Better, right?"

"I suppose so …" she says quietly, before timidly closing her copy. As we lean in, our shoulders almost touch. My left arm feels in the way, so I rest it behind Yuri's chair, taking care not to actually touch her. We only met yesterday, and I'm not sure that she's comfortable with physical contact from people she doesn't know well. Seeing as how she stiffens a bit, I feel my assumption was correct.

"Is this okay? I can move my arm if this makes you uncomfortable," I say.

"N-No, this is … nice. I don't mind," Yuri replies. She offers a small smile, and I feel that it's sincere. I'm glad.

**Initialization at 79%**

I return the smile before I look back at the book. "I'm not sure how I will turn the page with just one hand."

"I have an idea," she offers. Yuri slides closer to me as she takes the left side of the book in her left hand. She leans on the desk using her right arm beneath her breasts. I'm not sure if Yuri was aware of how she looked in that position, but I try to be polite and not look. I silently pray the sting in my cheeks subsides before she notices.

Huddled this close together allows me to get a whiff of her perfume, a sweet fragrance of jasmine and lavender. Her violet hair cascades over her shoulders gracefully, spilling down her back and pooling around her thighs. I can almost feel the warmth of Yuri's face, although to be fair, it could very well have been coming from mine. The sunlight shining in from one of the classroom windows highlights her silhouette, giving Yuri an angelic glow.

At this moment, Yuri is the most beautiful woman I've ever seen.

I'm so enchanted by her radiance that I'm startled when she says, "Are you ready?"

"Huh?" I say, blinking my eyes back into focus.

"Are you going to turn the page?" she asks.

Oh yeah. I'm supposed to be reading.

"Oh, um … yeah," I mumble. Lifting my thumb, the page is released and floats over to Yuri's side, where she catches it with her index finger before tucking it under her thumb.  
Yuri giggles softly. "That's right; you aren't used to reading, aren't you?"

Sure. Let's go with that.

"I don't mind being patient if it takes you a bit longer," she continues, looking over at me from the corner of her eye. "After all, it's the least I can do since you've been so patient with me …"

The way Yuri speaks these words makes my heart flutter as I feel my face getting red again. I stumble over some responses before settling on a simple, "O-Okay."  
"Are you feeling alright, Mal? I-I didn't mean to embarrass you …"

"N-No, I'm not embarrassed just … well, let's just say I'm not embarrassed," I laugh nervously.

"If you're feeling unwell, I can make some tea."

"Believe me, I feel great. Better than I've felt in a long time as a matter of fact. This … this is nice," I say. "Thanks for doing this with me."

I earn myself a smile from Yuri, although she tries to hide it with her hair as she looks away. "I-I'm glad … shall we continue?" she asks, biting her lip. I nod happily.

There is some silence between us as we continue reading together. Yuri doesn't ask if I'm ready to turn the page; instead, I simply assume she's finished by the time I am so I release the page on my own. The paper floats freely from my side to hers, and for a moment, I feel like we are the only ones in the classroom.

I try my best to pay attention to what I'm reading, but the voices from last night start to ring in my head again.

This time they're about Yuri.

_Yuri, please, don't do this …_

_I'm sorry, Yuri … I couldn't stop her in time. _

_Why did you do this to yourself, Yuri? Are you okay? _

_Yuri, in here, he won't find you here. _

_You're a freak, Yuri. I don't wanna be in a club with some psycho. _

_Leave her alone, Yuri! She's innocent in all this! _

_Please don't go, Yuri … I need you. _

_Maybe I could have saved you, Yuri … if I had only taken the time to know you sooner. _

I feel a soft, gentle hand rest on mine. It's Yuri's.

"Is this story upsetting you?" she asks.

"Why do you ask?" I say.

"Your face …" Yuri has a look of deep concern in her eyes. I feel something running down my cheek. I touch it, and it feels … wet. Am I crying?

Oh god. I wipe my eyes, and sure enough, there are tears. This is so embarrassing. Yuri's gonna think I'm some mentally unstable whack job.

"This story can be … intense," she continues softly. "I'm sorry, I should have picked a different—"

I interrupt her before she can finish that thought. "No, I was … I was just thinking about something that happened before." Did I say these things before? Impossible, I just met Yuri yesterday, there's no way that can be true. But this is the only answer I can offer on the spot.

"Did someone hurt you, Mal?" Yuri asks.

**Anomaly detected. Creating log …**

Before I can answer, Natsuki stomps over to where Yuri and I are sitting. "You! Come with me, I need you for something," she barks, pointing an authoritative finger at me. Without waiting for a response, Natsuki grabs my arm and pulls me out of my chair.

"Excuse me, Natsuki, Mal and I were in the middle of something," Yuri says. "You can't just march up to people and drag them away when they are in the middle of a conversation. That's rude."

"It's just going to take a second, and then you can get back to whatever boring thing you're telling him about," Natsuki replies. She turns to leave, still holding my arm.

"Wait a minute! He hasn't even agreed to help you!" Yuri protests, standing up.

"Yuri, i-it's okay," I say. "I think this story deserves my undivided attention, and I guess I'm a bit distracted today. I promise I'll make it up to you somehow."

I catch a glimpse of Natsuki sticking her tongue out at Yuri from the corner of my eye. Yuri scowls back at her a bit, but nods. "A-another time then …" she says.

I offer a small smile to Yuri, but she's already back in her seat, rummaging in her bag for another book to read. Natsuki, meanwhile, drags me to the back of the classroom to the closet. She points to some manga books on the top shelf.

"You're tall. Grab those mangas for me," she orders. So much sass in such a small package. Maybe I should call her Sass-suki.

"If these are yours, what are they doing on the top shelf?" I ask, having to stand on my toes to even brush my fingers on them despite my height.

Natsuki pouts. "Monika, of course. She says that it's one of the teachers or students in this class during the day, but I know it's her. I don't know why I bother bringing my collection here if it's not gonna stay organized. It's so stupid. And irritating."

I manage to get all but one of them down from the shelf. "Why would she do something like that?"

Natsuki opens her mouth to speak, but pauses. After thinking for a moment, she huffs and looks away, "I just know, okay? What's taking you so long getting that last book down?"

"I think I may have pushed it back by accident when grabbing the other books, so it's hard for me to reach," I answer. "Just give me a minute, I know I can get it."

Natsuki watches me impatiently, arms crossed, and foot tapping. I take a step back, and in one swift motion, I successfully leap up and snatch the last volume from the shelf. I present it to her, triumphant.

"About time," she says, snatching it from my hands.

Okay, Sass-suki.

"What's this manga about anyway?" I ask.

"See for yourself," the pink-haired lady answers.

**Initialization at 86%**

I look at the cover and freeze. There are four girls, each striking a different pose, but each of their faces consisted of a single, giant eye staring back at me.

The same eye that was on the cover of the book Yuri had.

The title of the manga read _YOU WILL SUBMIT_, in black, jagged letters.

I feel ice in my veins. Just what the hell is this? There's no way Natsuki would read something like this. Is this even a real manga?

"What's your problem?" Natsuki asks. "It's just Parfait Girls."

Parfait Girls? I look back at the cover, and it seems normal. The girls have cute faces, and the title, Parfait Girls, is written in bright pink bubble font.

I'm losing it.

A week from now two men in white uniforms are going to show up at my door and—

"If I had known you were gonna be so judgemental about it, I wouldn't have asked for your help." Natsuki snatches the book from my hands. "Is it too girly for you? Worried that you're gonna get cooties from reading it?"

My throat is dry, but I still manage to respond. "No. I'm just … surprised that there's a manga I've never heard of before. That's all." To my surprise, her expression softens.

"Oh. Well … you could've just said so," Natsuki huffs. "You must be a pretty big manga buff if you think you've heard of them all."

"Yeah, I guess you could say that." I stare at the manga in Natsuki's hands as if it's going to suddenly spring to life and attack me or something.

"Well, you can read it if you'd like. I'm sure it's better than whatever Yuri was showing you. She thinks reading weird books with big words in them while drinking her tea makes her sophisticated, but I think it makes her pretentious." Natsuki crosses her arms over her chest and shoots a dirty glance over in Yuri's direction.

"Pretentious is a pretty big word too, you know," I tease.

Natsuki's cheeks become as pink as her hair. "Just because I don't read the same kind of books as she does, doesn't mean that I can't use big words too!" She stomps over and sits on the floor, pouting. After a few moments, the petite lady shoots me an impatient look. "Well?"

"Well, what?" I ask. "Do you need me to get something else for you, Your Sassiness?"

My joke catches Natsuki off guard; I can almost feel the heat from her cheeks from where I'm standing. She fumbles over her words for a bit before finally spitting out, "I figured you would want to read it!" Natsuki holds up the first volume in the series in her hand.

"It looks like a slice-of-life manga. I can probably figure out the general plot. Once you've read one, you've read them all," I say. Natsuki throws the manga at my head, and it hits me on the nose. "Ow!"

"I thought when I heard you say you liked reading manga that you'd be different from everyone in this club, but I guess I'm wrong. You're just like everybody else." Natsuki gets up and stomps away, but I grab her by the arm.

"Wait. I'm sorry, I was just teasing," I apologize, my other hand still clutching my nose while holding the book. I thought someone like Natsuki would appreciate someone who could return the snark, but I guess I took things too far. Her pink eyes look stern, but she slowly turns and sits back down on the floor against the wall. She pats the spot beside her.

I sit down on the floor beside her, a little confused. Sensing my confusion Natsuki says, "I wanna make sure you actually read it and see if you can find some of the more subtle nuances that only experts like myself notice."

"Nuance, huh? You must really be trying to impress me," I chuckle. Natsuki grumbles something incoherent under her breath. I'm pretty sure I heard the word "idiot" somewhere in there.

I flip open to the first page and begin reading. I hear Natsuki shuffle closer to me, and I catch a whiff of her perfume—fruity with hints of bubblegum. I glance up at her to find that she's peeking over my shoulder to look at the pages.

"Trying to get a better view of the nuance?" I grin as I flip to the next page.

"Wha—? No! I'm just … wondering why you're reading so slowly! For someone who's so into anime and manga, you sure do take your time!" Natsuki's brows furrow as she tries to give me a mean look, but honestly, it just looks adorable.

"I really like to take it all in as I'm reading. Like this panel, for example, this girl is drinking boba tea while telling the other girl about how her job never leaves her time for anything fun anymore. Clearly, the boba tea represents the issue of consumerism in a society where we buy ourselves things in order to cope with our own unhappiness, and the way she's drinking it while talking about her job is symbolic of how capitalism drains one's soul and leaves a person empty."

I have no idea what the hell I'm talking about, but the look on Natsuki's face is priceless. Her head is tilted slightly to the side with a single brow raised, and she's staring so hard at the panel I can almost see a vein throb in her forehead. She blinks.

"I'm pretty sure she's just drinking boba tea and complaining Mal," she says. "This part here, though, actually develops into a pretty interesting arc." She points to another panel.

When I look at it, I feel the color drain from my face. The panel shows one of the characters with a horrifying grin that reaches each of her ears. At the same time, her lower jaw and throat are separated into two halves, split vertically from her chin and exposing a sickening tongue that reaches down to her waist. Her limbs were grotesque and disproportionate, and her beady eyes stared directly into mine. The image is drawn in disturbing detail, so much so that I feel like it's actually real.

Wait.

With morbid curiosity, I look closer at the picture. It seems like it's slightly moving but in a strange way. I feel the hair on the back of my neck stand on end when I realize it.

_It's fucking breathing._

The text bubble beside it read: _BEWARE THE PATH YOU TAKE!_

"What the heck is going on with you?" Natsuki says. "Are you running a fever or something? Did Yuri put something in your tea?"

I'm too terrified to take my eyes off the page. This can't be real. This is all in my head.

This can't be real.

This is all in my head.

This can't—

I see Natsuki's hand snap her fingers loudly in front of my face. The sudden noise makes me jump. I wipe the cold sweat from my forehead and turn to look at her, then back to the panel. The character looks like her usual self, and she is applying makeup using a hand mirror.

"Do you need to go see the nurse?" she asks, her pink eyes wide with concern.

"N-No … no, I'm fine. Is it hot in here?" I say, loosening the tie to my uniform.

"Not to me, it isn't. You … you don't … do drugs or anything do you?" Natsuki scoots a few inches away from me as she asks the question.

"What? No! Of course not! It's probably from the cafeteria food or something. Someone dared me to eat the Mystery Meat Surprise, and I think I just got to the surprise." I feel the color start to return to my face.

"Well, that's your own fault then. You should know better by now to avoid that stuff. I hear that it's made from all the leftover meat they served from last week and sometimes the week before." Natsuki stands up and offers her hand to me. "We can take a break from this if you aren't feeling good."

I breathe a sigh of relief internally as I take her hand and get to my feet. "Thanks."

"Okay, everyone!" I hear Monika call out from the other side of the room. "I think it's time that we share our poems with each other! We don't have much time left, and I don't wanna rush it." She gestures for everyone to get their poems ready.

After I walk up to my desk and sit down, I reach into my backpack for my poem. I notice that Natsuki has hers written in a pink and white notepad with cats and flowers decorating the pages. Both Yuri and Monika have theirs in elegant notebooks, and I can see their immaculate handwriting from where I'm sitting. I feel silly having mine in just a single loose page. Still, I notice that Sayori's is folded and creased as she pulls it out of the paper landfill inside of her own backpack, so I don't feel quite as bad.

I feel a block of ice in my stomach again. I can't believe I actually agreed to do this. I look at each of the other girls, wondering who I should show my poem to first. I suppose that Monika would be a good start. She seemed eager to read my poem yesterday, and I want to show that I'm putting in effort into being a member here. I'd better speak up before one of the other girls asks her first.

"Hey, Monika," I say.

"Hey, Mal! I'm delighted you came today. Are you enjoying the club so far?" she says with a smile. Looking at her emerald eyes helps to calm me down.

"Yeah, everyone's been really great," I lie. Truthfully, I've been incredibly uneasy at the club today, but it wasn't anything that the girls did. Besides, if I told Monika what I'd seen, it would just freak her out, and I wouldn't be allowed to come back.

"That's great! Did you bring your poem to share today?"

"Yeah, I have it right here. Sorry for the bad handwriting." I hand Monika the poem.

_**The Destroyer of Pleasures**_

_**What shall we say when it delivers us to the Perfection?**_  
_**When we are handed our book, filled with our sins and favors, what testament will we have to give for our actions?**_  
_**When the final grain of soil is cast upon our grave, what will we have left behind besides the broken hearts of those dearest to us? **_  
_**Will we be able to stand proud before the Perfection, or will we be brought to our knees under the weight of our transgressions? **_  
_**When the hour of reckoning is at hand, will our faces be lit with tranquility, or shall they be twisted in grief? **_  
_**We are unsure.**_  
_**When the scales are brought forth to measure our deeds, will it be our wickedness or our righteousness that will crack the earth with its weight?**_  
_**When the Perfection gazes into our soul, will it be illuminated with his smile, or destroyed by his wrath? **_  
_**Who will be there to read the Chapter for us when we cannot read it for ourselves? **_  
_**We are unsure. **_  
_**Will we have earned the intervention from the one whose example we strive to follow? **_  
_**When our tongues recite every lie we have spoken before the Perfection, what will we say to justify them? **_  
_**When our eyes give testament to the tragedies they have witnessed as a result of our own actions, what veil can we call upon to cover our shame? **_  
_**When our heart sheds tears for the suffering and grief we have caused it for the sake of companionship, who will come to our side to show the fruit of our efforts? **_  
_**We are unsure.**_  
_**With each reminder of the Destroyer of Pleasures, I have asked myself these questions endlessly. Yet the answer is always the same. **_  
_**Only one response comes to mind: **_

_**I'm sorry. I did my best.**_

Monika takes her time reading it, her eyebrows creeping further up her forehead as she goes further down the page. She sets the paper down on the desk and pauses for a moment before saying, "Are you sure this is your first time writing a poem?"

"You don't like it. Sorry, I'm still new to this whole thing," I say, reaching for the poem on her desk. She places her hand on top of mine.

"Quite the opposite actually. I think it's excellent. I … actually connected with it more than I thought I would." Monika stares intently into my eyes like she's done before when nobody was looking. Did I just impress the President of the Literature Club? I feel my cheeks get warm. "Tell me more about it," she says, her voice barely above a whisper. "I want to know how you came up with something like this."

Something about her tone when she spoke that last sentence sounds off. She's leaned in closer to me, her eyes still locked on my own, and I can smell her vanilla orchid and cherry perfume. What is she looking for?

"Um, well, it took me a long time last night, but I just tried to clear my mind and put pen to paper," I answer. Monika's grip on my hand gets tighter with every word I say. She's hurting me.

"Fascinating," she says, smiling wide. Suddenly, as if realizing what she was doing, she blinks and regains her composure. She clears her throat before handing me her poem. "I hope you like it!"

_**Hole in Wall**_

_**It couldn't have been me.**_  
_**See, the direction the sparkle protrudes.**_  
_**A noisy neighbor? An angry boyfriend? I'll never know. I wasn't home.**_  
_**I peer inside for a clue.**_  
_**No! I can't see. I reel, blind, like a film left out in the sun.**_  
_**But it's too late. My retinas.**_  
_**Already scorched with a permanent copy of the meaningless image.**_  
_**It's just a little hole. It wasn't too bright.**_  
_**It was too deep. **_  
_**Stretching forever into everything. **_  
_**A hole of infinite choices.**_  
_**I realize now, that I wasn't looking in.**_  
_**I was looking out.**_  
_**And he, on the other side, was looking in.**_

"Hmm," I ponder.

"What do you think?" she asks.

"Well … it's very … freeform? Sorry, I've never had to give feedback on poems before. I don't even know what I'm looking for," I reply.

That's an understatement. I had no idea what this poem was supposed to be about. Hell, I don't even know what my poem was supposed to be about.

Monika looks briefly disappointed but puts on her charming smile once again. "That's okay, I've been experimenting with a new writing style. I guess you can say I had an epiphany recently, and it's been influencing my writing a lot." She absentmindedly twirls some of her brunette hair with her index finger.

"I think it's pretty neat. I look forward to seeing what else you come up with." I offer a smile as I hand the poem back over to her, and she gives me a wink in return. What is with her?

I decide to show Natsuki my poem next.

"Hey, Natsuki. Wanna read my poem?" I ask.

"I guess," she says, holding her hand out.

She takes the poem and reads through it rather quickly before dismissively tossing it back on my desk.

"Mal, if you aren't going to take this club seriously, then there's really no point in you being here," she says flatly. "Did you copy this from something you found online?" I'm stunned; I didn't think my poem would get such a negative response.

"N-No! I realize it may not be the best, but I did try, and I didn't plagiarize. I have more self-respect than that," I argue. Natsuki looks unconvinced. "If you're still proud of the first poem you ever wrote, I'd like to see it."

Her cheeks redden. I smirk.

"If you say so. I find it hard to believe that someone who says they've never written before can come up with something like that on their own. I'd offer you some suggestions, but honestly, it would be better if you just started over completely. You'll get better."

"Thanks, I guess. Let's see what you wrote," I mumble. She hands me her poem.

**_Eagles Can Fly_**

**_Monkeys can climb_**  
**_Crickets can leap_**  
**_Horses can race_**  
**_Owls can seek_**  
**_Cheetahs can run_**  
**_Eagles can fly_**  
**_People can try_**  
**_But that's about it_**

"It's …" I trail off, trying to find the right word. I'm sure that she doesn't want it to be called "cute," but the other alternatives don't sound any less condescending.

"I knew you would think it's stupid," Natsuki sighs.

"I like it," I argue. She looks up at me in surprise.

"Just be honest, I can take it," she says.

"I am. Why are you so convinced that I wouldn't? Is it because you bashed mine you thought I'd do the same to yours?"

Natsuki pouts. "Well … everyone in high school thinks that writing has to be all sophisticated and stuff, so nobody takes my writing seriously."

"Isn't the whole point of poems for people to express themselves? It shouldn't matter what style it's written in, because each poem is unique to the person that wrote it. Just because it's simple, it doesn't make your message less valid."

Natsuki perks up. "Yes, exactly! I like it when it's easy to read, but it hits you hard. Like in this poem. Seeing everyone around you do great things can be really disheartening, so I wrote about it."

I read over Natsuki's poem again. "Yes, I understand. I like what you did with the wordplay also. I felt like it was going to rhyme at the end, but it falls flat. That makes sense with the message you're trying to get across."

At this point, Natsuki is beaming. "It gave the last line more meaning. That's what it means to be a pro!" she brags. Seeing her so excited that someone actually appreciated what she wrote makes me happy. I'm beginning to realize why she acts so tough around other people now. "I'm glad you learned something today. Didn't expect that from the youngest one here, did you?"

I chuckle, "No, I guess not." I return Natsuki's poem.

Looking back at mine, I think maybe Yuri would have some good feedback for me, but she's already exchanged her poem with Monika. I notice Sayori is sitting alone, waiting to share hers with someone.

"Hey, Sayori," I say.

"Hey, Mal! Thanks for joining the club. I'm happy you're here; I've missed you!" she says. Her ocean-blue eyes always seem to make my chest warm.

"I'm glad I'm here too. It's nice being able to hang out again. Are you ready to read my poem?"

"Sure! I bet it's awesome!" Sayori takes my poem and looks it over. "It's good! Are you sure this is your first time writing one?"

"Monika said the same thing when she read it," I laugh. "I must not be very good at this."

"No, it's terrific! Reading this reminds me that you really are part of the literature club now! Honestly, I was worried you weren't going to take it seriously, or that you wouldn't write a poem at all. So I'm just glad you wrote one!" Sayori giggles and claps her hands together. "Now you'll read my poem too, right? I'm terrible at this, though."

"We'll see about that," I say. She hands me her poem.

_**Dear Sunshine**_

_**The way you glow through my blinds in the morning**_  
_**It makes me feel like you missed me.**_  
_**Kissing my forehead to help me out of bed.**_  
_**Making me rub the sleepy from my eyes.**_

_**Are you asking me to come out and play?**_  
_**Are you trusting me to wish away a rainy day?**_  
_**I look above. The sky is blue.**_  
_**It's a secret, but I trust you too.**_

_**If it wasn't for you, I could sleep forever. **_  
_**But I'm not mad.**_

_**I want breakfast.**_

I pause when I finish reading the poem. "Sayori … this is just a guess, but … did you wait until this morning to write this?"

She looks surprised and embarrassed at the same time. "No! J-Just a little bit …"

"It's a 'yes' or 'no' question."

The strawberry-haired lady pokes her index fingers together nervously. "I forgot to do it last night."

I can't help but laugh. "Well, now I feel a little bit better about myself."

"Don't be mean!"

"Sorry, I don't mean that it's a bad poem. It sounds just like you actually."

"Really?"

"Yeah, especially that last line."

"I made eggs and toast!" Sayori bounces on her toes as she thinks about her morning meal.

"Even though you were late for school? How bold," I tease.

She pouts, "It's bad to skip breakfast! I get cranky …" Sayori's quite adorable when she's cranky, so that's not always a bad thing.

I smile and ruffle her hair. "Thanks for showing me, Sayori."

She gives me a warm smile in return and giggles. "This is so much fun! Monika is the best!"

Yeah … Monika. I look over at her, and she's already handed Yuri's poem back. She stares at me unflinchingly while Yuri is speaking to her before she smiles and waves at me with her fingers. I smile weakly at her before turning away.

"Anyway, I won't forget tomorrow. I'm gonna write the best poem ever!" Sayori says.

"I look forward to it," I say before she gives me a tight hug and runs off to show Monika her poem.

That just leaves Yuri. Strangely, out of all the girls, Yuri's opinion is the one I'm most nervous about. I'm worried that once she reads my poem, she'll realize I've basically been bluffing my way through so far and won't want to talk to me anymore. On the other hand, Sayori and Monika thought it was good, so maybe I have a chance.

I take a deep breath before approaching her. "Hey, Yuri …"

She shifts her weight nervously, but still offers a smile. "Hello, Mal … were you able to help Natsuki?"

"Help her with what? Her poem?"

"N-No, with whatever it was she needed when we were talking. Y-You were gone for quite some time …" Yuri looks down at the ground and fidgets with her hair.

"Oh, right. She just needed help reaching one of her mangas that was on the top shelf," I explain. I suddenly remember the monster I saw in the manga, and a chill runs up my spine.

"Oh … it's j-just that I s-saw you two sitting together … n-not that it's any of my business, of course! You're f-free to spend time with whomever you wish …" I can tell that she looks crestfallen.

"I … wasn't feeling too well. I think it was something I ate during lunch today." I don't have it in me to tell her I was reading Natsuki's manga with her. Yuri looks up at me with concern.

"It wasn't the Mystery Meat Surprise, was it?" she asks.

I nod. "It was a dare."

She giggles with her hand over her mouth. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to laugh at you. I can imagine your expression before you took the first bite, and it is amusing."

I breathe a sigh of relief. "Yeah, I definitely won't be doing that again anytime soon. Would you like to read my poem?"

She nods and takes my paper, my heart pounding in my chest. Surely she won't hate it more than Natsuki, but the thought of her hating it even half as much makes me tremble. I watch as her eyes light up brighter with each line that she reads. Before I know it, she's done. I swallow hard.

"Exceptional …" she whispers. I feel my heart skip a beat.

"R-Really?" I say. My voice cracks, and I clear my throat. "You like it?"

Yuri jumps slightly at the sound of my voice. "D-Did I say that out loud?" She covers her mouth and then covers her whole face. I can see how red her cheeks are from between her fingers.

"You didn't do anything wrong, Yuri," I reassure. She peeks at me from between her fingers.

"Y-Yes. You're right. So tell me, what kind of writing experience do you have?" she asks. "Your use of imagery and metaphors indicates you've written a lot of poetry before."

At this point, my heart feels ready to burst from my chest. Did I just impress her? I stumble over my words before saying, "Wow, that's a huge compliment coming from you. This is actually my first time writing anything."

"Huh?" Yuri raises her eyebrows and tilts her head. I seem to have caught her off guard, but she tries to recover. She looks at my poem again. "I-I knew that I just …" Yuri trails off, unable to find an excuse.

Her expression changes to look more focused as she traces the lines of the poem with her finger, analyzing it more thoroughly. She closes her eyes a moment to collect her thoughts.

"Yes, this is how I can tell. There are specific writing habits that are usually typical of new writers. Having been through that myself, I kind of learned to pick up on them.

"I think the most noticeable thing I recognize in new writers is that they try to make their style very deliberate. In other words, they tend to pick a writing style separate from the topic matter, and they form-fit the two together. The end result is that both the style and the expressiveness are weakened."

I'm mesmerized. Once she found her train of thought, Yuri's entire demeanor changes. She was articulate and well-spoken and didn't stutter once. She spoke with the confidence of an expert, and witnessing it first-hand on my own work was utterly enchanting.

"Of course, that's not something you can be blamed for," she continues. "There are so many different skills and techniques that go into writing even a simple poem. Not just finding them and building them, but getting them to work together is probably the most challenging part. It might take you some time, but it all comes with practice and learning by example, and trying new things. I hope everyone else in the club gives you valuable feedback."

My mouth is open, and my eyes are wide. Stunning. Simply stunning. "Well, some of the girls had some advice for me, but honestly, your feedback was the best. I really like hearing you talk about writing. I didn't know it could be so interesting, or so difficult for that matter."

Yuri tries to hide her smile with her hair, but I still catch a glimpse of it.

"Can I read your poem now?" I ask. She nods wordlessly and hands me her poem.

"I'd love to share my thought process behind it," she says, her voice muffled by her hair still covering her mouth.

_**Ghost Under the Light**_

_**The tendrils of my hair illuminate beneath the amber glow.**_  
_**Bathing.**_  
_**It must be this one.**_  
_**The last remaining streetlight to have withstood the test of time.**_  
_**The last yet to be replaced by the sickening blue-green hue of the future.**_  
_**I bathe. Calm; breathing air of the present but living in the past.**_  
_**The light flickers.**_  
_**I flicker back. **_

"I'm sorry for my terrible handwriting," she says.

"What? I didn't think that at all," I reply.

"It's just that it took you a long time to read …"

"I just don't read script very often. I think your handwriting is beautiful. Almost as beautiful as you." The last sentence came out before I could stop myself. Oh crap.

Yuri's eyes go wide, and her face turns cherry red. She's entirely at a loss for words, which makes her even more embarrassed, so she looks straight down at the floor and fidgets with her hair.

"I really liked the poem, too," I add quickly. "Even though it's short, it was really descriptive." Hopefully, getting the conversation back to the poem will make her feel more comfortable. I can be so stupid sometimes.

After a long pause, she finally says, "It wasn't too short? I usually write longer poems." She still doesn't lift her eyes from the ground.

This is a step in the right direction. "Not at all. Are you into ghosts, Yuri?"

She gives a half-smile and looks up a bit higher. "Actually, the story isn't about a ghost at all, Mal."

"Oh. I guess I missed the point completely."

"That's alright. I know you aren't used to reading poems, so you may not always catch the symbolism. Remember that poets often express their own thoughts, feelings, and experiences in their work. They usually do more than tell a simple story or paint a picture. In this case, the subject of the poem is only metaphorically compared to a ghost. Lingering in her last remaining place of comfort, unable to let go of the past, and soon to be left with nothing." By now, Yuri has regained her composure and immersed herself in the subject matter.

"That's a lot more solemn putting it that way. I hadn't even thought of that …" I say. "You're an amazing writer. I could learn a thing or two from you." I earn myself another smile from Yuri.

"I was nervous about doing this activity, but thanks to you, I feel a lot better about it. I'm going to keep doing my best for you, Mal."

I feel my own cheeks stinging. "Um … g-glad I could help."

"Okay, everyone!" I hear Monika call. "I guess we've all shared now. How does everyone feel about it?"

"It was so much fun!" Sayori says. "I learned so much about everyone!"

"Yeah, it wasn't too bad, I guess," Natsuki says.

"I enjoyed it as well," Yuri says.

"What about you, Mal?" Monika asks.

"It was pretty neat to talk about this stuff. I liked it," I say.

"That's great," she says. "Why don't we do the same thing again tomorrow?"

Everyone nods their heads in agreement.

"Alright then, dismissed! See you guys tomorrow!" Monika says. With that, Natsuki and Yuri gather their things before walking out of the classroom. Monika, however, approaches me while Sayori stands with a blank expression on her face.

She takes slow, deliberate steps towards me while locking her eyes with my own. When I fantasized about one of the most beautiful women in the school staring at me, it was a lot sexier. There would be lingerie, music, maybe even a chocolate fountain with strawberries.

This was just creepy. There's an oppressive stillness in the air, so thick that I feel like I'm choking. My heart is slamming against my chest as I try to step back away from her, but my legs are paralyzed.

I look over at Sayori for help, but she still has the same blank look on her face, like she's a zombie. Monika continues to step closer until our faces are inches apart. I can feel her warm breath on my face, while her eyes continue to stare at me. I notice that her irises are glowing with a green hue, to the point where I can't see her pupils even at this distance. It would look gorgeous if I wasn't so terrified at the moment.

"I've waited a long time, Mal," she says, darkly. "I was beginning to think I would ever be the only one." She runs her fingers through my hair and rests her palm on my cheek.

"W-Waited for what?" I ask hoarsely. My throat is dry, and my mouth feels like cotton.

Monika frowns. "It must not have happened for you yet. What a shame. You show promise, though, and I've already waited this long. I don't mind waiting a bit longer." With a smile, she traces my lips. I feel cold beads of sweat on my forehead. "I look forward to your next poem. I have faith in you."

Monika steps away from me before shutting her eyes. When she opens them, the stillness is gone along with her glowing irises. Sayori skips over to my side like nothing happened.

**Anomaly detected. Creating log …**

"Ready to go?" she asks cheerfully.

"… Yeah." I say, not taking my eyes off of Monika, who is leaning over with her hands behind her back. My legs feel like jelly, so I wobble out of the classroom with Sayori as quickly as I can.

"This is so great! I've missed walking home together," Sayori says, while she hums to herself. "Sharing our poems was so much fun, I can't wait to start on the next one! Monika's such a great president, don't you think?"

I say nothing, as I'm too focused on what happened earlier. No matter how much I tell myself that I'm imagining things, it's becoming less believable even for me.

"Did you notice anything weird in the clubroom after Yuri and Natsuki left?" I ask.

Sayori scrunches her face as she thinks. "No, why?"

"No reason," I say. We approach both of our houses. Sayori gives me a confused look.

"There's gotta be a reason; otherwise, you wouldn't have asked, right?" she asks.

Again, I say nothing. I stop when I reach my house.

"Do you wanna work on our poems together?" I can hear the concern in her voice.

"Actually, I think I'm going to take a nap first. I'm not feeling too well." Without waiting for a response, I turn and open my door. I catch a glimpse of Sayori's sad blue eyes before I shut it.

I throw my backpack on the floor and head upstairs to my room, flinging myself onto my bed to stare at the ceiling. All of the strange things that happened today replay in my mind, especially that last conversation with Monika.

What was she waiting for? And why was she so interested in my poems? Just what the hell is happening to me?

**Initialization at 100%**

**Compiling anomaly logs for analysis…**

**Anomaly threshold exceeded. **

**Activating Harbinger Failsafe Protocol.**


	5. Chapter 5

05.

I bolt upright in bed, soaked in cold sweat. The digital clock on my nightstand blinks 2:00 AM. I just woke up from a horrible nightmare.

_I was at the literature club, but instead of a classroom, it was an operating theater. Desks were replaced with medical equipment; the walls painted a sterile white. Lights hung from the ceiling, illuminating the four girls in front of me in a cold, unfeeling glow. _

_Monika was dressed in scrubs, with a scalpel in hand. The other three girls sat in chairs in front of her with their skulls open and brains exposed. _

_"What the hell are you doing?" I asked. _

_"I have to fix them," she said. Her face was covered with a mask, but the look in her eyes was utter fear. "Before he gets here." _

_"Before who gets here?" I asked._

_I heard a rumble in the distance. I looked out the window to find a murder of crows so big I couldn't see the sky. They swarmed like a plague, and suddenly—_

_THWACK._

_I jumped back as one of the crows slammed against the glass, blood spattering against the pane. _

_A shrill scream pierced the air from behind me, whipping my head around to face it. Monika had her hands in Sayori's brain, and Sayori was thrashing wildly but was strapped to the chair. _

_"Stop! You're hurting her!" I shouted. _

_Monika didn't listen; her eyes were wide and bloodshot. "It's my fault they're like this. I have to fix them!" _

_The rumble in the distance got louder and was followed by the sound of a deep, blaring horn. One that sounded like it heralded the apocalypse. The crows continued slamming against the window with increased frequency. _

_THWACK._  
_THWACK._  
_THWACK. _

_I wondered how long the glass would hold up against them but was interrupted by Sayori's screaming again. _

_"Hold her down, Mal," Monika barked. She was wrist-deep in Sayori's brain, and Sayori would not stop screaming. "We don't have much time. I have to fix them!" _

_"This is insane, what are you talking about?" I roared, marching across the room and pulling Monika's hands away from Sayori. Monika looked completely distressed, her eyes darting back and forth between myself and the window. _

_"Please, let me go! I have to fix them!" Monika begged. Tears threatened in her eyes as she struggled to free herself from my grasp. "I HAVE TO FIX THEM!"_

_THWACKTHWACKTWHACKTHWACK._

_The crows were slamming against the windows like a barrage of bullets now. I could hear the glass cracking. _

_"Not until you explain what's happening, Monika," I demanded. _

_The rumbling was so intense I could feel the room shake. _

_Monika broke down crying. In between sobs, all she said was, "I don't want to die." _

_Just as she said those words, I heard the horn blare again as the windows shattered. Crows flooded the room, as Monika wailed. Overwhelmed, I fell backward and watched as a giant raven poked its head through the broken window. _

_Its eyes were a pale silver, and appeared human, while a third eye remained closed on its forehead. The raven looked at Monika with disdain. It opened its beak and let out the same deafening horn. Then, one by one, the crows swarmed over Sayori, Natsuki, and Yuri. _

_Monika and I looked on in horror as the crows devoured the other girls, their beaks and feathers soaking in their blood. I clapped my hands over my ears to try and muffle their screams. _

_Nothing was left of the girls besides bloody chairs. Monika was trembling as she sobbed loudly. She tries to crawl toward me, but the raven bellowed another horn. _

_The crows swarmed over Monika next. Her hand reached out toward me, and I watched as the crows picked her flesh down to the bone. All I could hear was her screaming. _

_Her horrid screaming. _

_The raven looked to me, with its silver eyes, and I felt my chest tighten. Was I going to die? _

_Suddenly, I screamed, "What the hell do you want?!" _

_The raven didn't answer me, yet I heard a voice in my head._

_"Sovereign," it said. The voice was deeper than humanly possible and sounded warped._

_I watched as the raven's third eye opened to gaze at me. It was black as night and filled me with fear, unlike anything I've ever felt as my ears rang with that blaring horn._

That's when I woke up.

I walk into my bathroom to wash my face. I can feel my hands trembling from the nightmare as I turn the faucet handle. I cup the warm water in my hands and splash it on my face a couple of times.

THWACK.

I bolt upright.

What the hell was that?

THWACK.

It sounds like it's coming from my bedroom window. My heart is pounding in my chest. Maybe it's just my imagination? I slowly move towards my bedroom.

THWACK.

I jump. That was definitely not my imagination. My mouth is dry, and I reach through the darkness to grab something I can defend myself with. The only thing I can find is a model from a Gundam anime that I watched when I was younger. It's not very sturdy, but it'll have to do.

THWACK.

THWACK.

I take a deep breath and hold before I flick on the bedroom light. I don't see anything outside of the window from where I'm standing. Slowly, I creep forward, taking care to avoid the creaky spots on my floor. My heart is beating so hard I can feel my ears throbbing.

Finally, I reach the window and look outside to find—Sayori?

She waves at me in her pajamas with both arms from her bedroom window. She's clutching a fistful of what looks to be hard candy that I assume she was using to throw at my window.

I let out the breath I've been holding. My whole body is shaking as I open my window.

"What are you doing up at this hour?" I ask. I shudder as the chilly night breeze blows into my room. I'm shirtless and still glistening with sweat from terror.

"I had a bad dream, and you were in it," she says. "I wanted to make sure you were okay."

Did … did she have the same nightmare I did?

No way.

"I'm okay, just a little restless is all," I say. "Anyway, good night."

"W-wait!" she shouts. "I-I'm … kinda scared to go back to sleep."

"That bad, huh? Just turn on your night light." Sayori is the only person I know at this age that still needs a night light to sleep sometimes.

She nervously fidgets. "Uhh … it was already on. C-can I sleepover tonight?"

Her request catches me off guard. We hadn't had a sleepover with each other since elementary school. Although, I suppose it wouldn't be all that bad. After that nightmare, I could use some company myself, though I certainly won't admit that to Sayori.

"I guess. Let me just get cleaned up and I'll meet you downstairs," I say.

Sayori bounces up and down, clapping her hands together. "Yay! Thank youuu! I'll be right over."

I go back into the bathroom to wipe the sweat off with a towel before quickly changing the bedsheets and spraying myself with some deodorant and throwing on a shirt. As I trot downstairs, I hear Sayori knocking. I open the door.

Sayori is dressed in a cherry-red nylon v-neck shirt with matching shorts that reach just above her mid-thigh. Her hair is messy, and she's holding her oversized stuffed cow that I gave her for her birthday in middle school, along with a bag containing what I assume to be toiletries and a change of clothes.

Although her pajamas are relatively loose-fitting, they were more revealing than her usual outfits. I can feel the blood rise in my cheeks as she lets herself into my home.

"Before you get too comfortable, let me just grab some pillows and blankets from my room so I can sleep on the couch," I say. Sayori turns around and gives me a disappointed look.

"Oh. The couch? I thought maybe we could both sleep in your bed," she says. I'm stunned by her suggestion. I don't know that we ever shared the same bed, even when we were kids. When Sayori would sleepover we would build forts in the living room and sleep in sleeping bags.

This was bold, even for her.

"Don't worry, Mr. Cow will make sure that there's no funny business!" Sayori giggles. "He can sleep between us." She gives the stuffed cow a big squeeze. I'm not entirely sure that sleeping with that thing is going to be very comfortable.

"Are you sure? I really don't mind taking the couch," I say. Sayori gives me a solemn look.

"I, uh … I really don't want to be alone tonight. Please, Mal." She sounds unusually serious. I hear the voices in my head return.

_You'll always be just a friend to me, Sayori. _

_What the hell is wrong with you, Sayori? _

_Sayori, I'm done cleaning up after your messes. _

_I would give up the world for you, Sayori._

_I'm sorry, I should've paid closer attention, Sayori._

_I let you down, Sayori … it's my fault_.

I sigh. "Okay. But if you're going to spend the night here, I'm going to make sure you wake up on time."

"Okay!" With a smile, she runs upstairs, and I follow.

We both crawl under the covers and Sayori puts her stuffed cow between the two of us. I don't know about her, but the size of the cow has got me pushed to the edge of the bed on my side. This feels silly.

"Hey, Mal," Sayori says softly.

"Yeah?"

"Did you write your poem for tomorrow?"

"Yeah."

"That's great!"

A few moments of silence pass between us.

"Hey, Mal."

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for letting me come over."

"Yeah."

I roll over onto my stomach to get myself more comfortable. I feel Sayori shift around the bed as well.

"Hey, Mal?"

I sigh with impatience.

"Yeah?"

"Can … can I hold your hand? Mr. Cow says it's okay with him. My nightmare was really bad …"

"… Yeah."

I slide my hand underneath Mr. Cow and find Sayori's. I feel her grip my hand firmly before pulling it against her chest. Her shirt is thin enough for me to tell that she isn't wearing a bra. My face gets so hot I'm worried my pillow will catch on fire.

Do I say something? I mean, aren't you supposed to ask permission before you put your hand on a girl's body like that? Also, aren't you supposed to kiss first? Well, she was the one who put my hand there, so is she supposed to ask me permission?

I mean, if she did ask permission, I would have said yes. I think. Do girls need to ask permission for boys to touch them? I don't know of any boys that would say no, so maybe they don't.

But what if I would have said no? Would Sayori get in trouble for doing what she did to me? Or is it okay because we're friends? Also, do friends let other friends touch each other like this? Is Sayori my girlfriend now? Do the other club members consider me a friend? Are they gonna ask me permission to touch them?

Actually, they're all girls, so they probably don't need to ask permission. So does that mean they're going to make me touch them? Do I need to kiss them all first? If I do, does it have to be one at a time, or can it be all at once? Is it even possible to kiss three girls at once? Would we all stand in a circle or something? Would that mean they'd all be my girlfriend? Is that even allowed?

Regardless, there's really only one who I would want to kiss, and I think I would have a heart attack if she asked me.

I feel Sayori press my hand harder on her chest, and I feel her heartbeat. It's fast like mine, but pounding much harder.

"Is everything okay?" I ask, taking care not to let it show how flustered I am.

"I dreamt I had lost you," she says. I can feel her voice vibrate in my palm, despite her speaking softly.

"Lost as in I wasn't your friend anymore?"

"Lost as in you died."

"Oh." I'm not sure what else to say to that other than, "I don't have any intention of dying soon. Or going anywhere for that matter. I'll be right next door whenever you need me. Just like tonight."

"Thanks … sorry for being selfish."

"I don't think you're being selfish. Honestly, I had a pretty bad dream too. This is nice."

"Did anyone die in your dream?"

I can hear the sound of their horrifying screams. The terrifying horn. That voice. "Yeah … there was a lot of that."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too. Let's just get some sleep and try and forget about it, okay?"

Sayori yawns. "Okay. I'm keeping your hand on my side, though," she giggles.

Fine by me.

Unfortunately, morning arrives much sooner than I would have liked. Despite my best efforts and Sayori's … softness, I had difficulty falling back asleep. Every time I shut my eyes, I saw that damn raven.

Sayori managed to wedge my hand between herself and Mr. Cow, who she was now hugging like a body pillow. I consider trying to move my hand, but I don't want Sayori to think I'm groping her. Instead, I use my other hand to gently shake her awake.

"Time to wake up, Sayori. I'm not gonna let you be late for school," I say.

Sayori groans. "Five more minutes."

"Nope. If you don't get up, I'm just gonna have to pin you down and tickle you."

Her eyes snap open, and she bolts upright. "Okay, okay! I'm up!"

I laugh. "I'll change in the bathroom. If you don't take too long to get ready, I'll have time to make us both breakfast before we leave. Deal?"

"Deal!" Sayori pumps her fist in the air before throwing the covers off the bed. She grabs her school uniform from her bag before she begins to take her shirt off.

"Woah, slow down!" I say, leaping out of bed and pulling her shirt back down. "At least let me get out of the room so you can have some privacy."

Realizing what almost happened, Sayori's face turns crimson. "S-Sorry, I was just so focused on the food that I didn't realize you were still in the room!"

She pushes me into the bathroom before throwing my school clothes at me and shutting the door. I wash my face and brush my teeth before getting dressed for the day.

"Are you ready?" I ask through the bathroom door.

"I'm still working on my hair!" Sayori answers.

"Well, do you have some clothes on at least? I don't wanna be stuck in this bathroom all morning. I can start on breakfast while you're finishing up."

"Yeah, that sounds great!"

I slowly open the door to find that Sayori has at least managed to get her skirt and button-up blouse on. With a sigh of relief, I head downstairs and fire up the stove to start on breakfast.

The eggs crackle in the pan while I prepare french toast in another. Before long, Sayori stumbles down the stairs as I add cheese and spinach to the eggs before I fold them into an omelet.

"It smells great, Mal!" Sayori says.

"Yeah, if you woke up earlier, you might actually have time to come over once in a while for me to make you breakfast," I tease, turning the stovetop off and making plates for both of us.

Sayori practically inhales her food, while I notice that she looks like a mess in her haste to get downstairs. I adjust her blazer and her bow while combing through her hair for any tangles.

In the middle of our breakfast, Sayori sets her silverware down and looks crestfallen. I wave my hand in front of her face, but she doesn't respond.

"Sayori? Are you okay? Do you not like the food?" I ask. A minute passes, and she is still silent. I see her body tremble like she's holding back a sob. She sniffs and takes a deep breath before putting on her usual smile.

"Sorry, I was just spacing out for a second there," she laughs. I can tell it's fake. Now that I think about it, she's been doing a lot of fake laughing lately. At first, I casually dismissed it as something silly, but after last night I'm not so sure anymore.

"Well … if there's anything on your mind, you can talk to me. C'mon, it's time to go," I say, taking our plates and loading them in the dishwasher.

Grabbing our backpacks, we head out the door and begin our walk to school together. My mind wanders back to my nightmare last night. The horrific details continue to replay in my mind on a loop. I'm so wrapped up in my thoughts that I almost don't hear Sayori speak.

"Huh?" I say.

"I said, 'thanks for letting me come over last night,'" she repeats.

"You've already thanked me," I answer. Not to mention you put my hand—

I'd better leave that alone. I'm not going down that rabbit hole again. I glance over at Sayori to find that she has that same depressed look on her face. I'd better keep an eye on her.

Before long, we reach the school, having walked the remainder of the way in silence.

"See you at the club," I say, waving goodbye to Sayori.

"See ya!" she says, with that same fake laugh before skipping down the hall.

I head the opposite direction toward my first period when I hear something slam around the corner. It sounds like someone being thrown against a locker. My school doesn't have very many bullies, I don't think. Curious, I peer around the corner and gasp at what I see.

Monika is forcefully held against the lockers by a much taller man. He has her lifted so high by the collar she is off her feet and meeting his gaze. The man has a lean build, with jet-black hair that reaches down past his shoulders and looks to be about six-and-a-half feet tall. He has a black bandanna tied around his forehead, which seems out of place with his student uniform. Did he slam Monika into the locker?

Judging by how terrified Monika looks, that seems to be the case. Disturbingly enough, she looks just as terrified as she did in my nightmare. Her face is pale, and she's visibly shaking. She's so scared that she's not even trying to escape his grasp.

The man's face is inches from hers as he says, "You have overstepped your bounds. You fumble in ignorance, incapable of understanding the intricacies of your surroundings." The depth of his voice resonates in my bones. It's as if his words are weaving their way through my spine, dancing along my nerves with spiked shoes. His tone is icy but rumbles with the authority of a god. I feel profound discomfort listening to him. "You seek to create your own reality, yet fail to grasp that your desires are insignificant, and you exist only because it is permitted."

Why is he talking to her like that? More importantly, why hasn't someone stopped this? I look around and see other students passing by like they don't even exist. Am I the only one that can see what's happening here? I consider finding an adult, but I'm worried about what would happen to Monika if I left her alone with this psycho any longer. Granted, Monika really creeped me out yesterday when she did her … whatever that was, but she doesn't deserve to be treated like this.

"I-I-I'm so s-s-sorry," Monika says. Her voice is barely above a whisper, and she looks like she's about to cry. "I'll f-fix it, I p-p-promise …"

"Promises and apologies are meaningless. You, along with the others, are incapable of grasping the nature of this existence. Sovereign is watching."

What did he just say?

Sovereign?

I can almost hear that awful horn. I have to do something.

"What the hell do you think you're doing? Weren't you taught not to put your hands on girls?" I say. Any confidence I have is immediately drained once the man looks at me.

His eyes are silver.

Just like that raven.

He drops Monika, who crashes to the floor. She manages to keep her skirt down as she falls, and is now looking at me, mouth agape.

I lock eyes with the man, and I hear the voices return. Only this time, instead of hearing a cluster of different sentences and one-sided conversations, they all scream two words in unison:

_KILL HIM._

They are so loud I swear the man heard them. His eyes narrow before he takes a step toward me.

"You," he says. His silver eyes turn black. No pupil, no iris, nothing. Just solid black eyes. Suddenly, I feel intense pain in my head. It's like my brain is swelling inside my skull and about to explode. I can't move, I can't even think. The longer he looks at me, the worse the pain gets. I taste blood in my mouth, and a droning sound fills my ears.

He continues to glare at me as he walks closer. The pain has brought me to my knees now, but I still cannot look away from him. His height at this distance makes him seem like a mountain, and the sound has turned into a screech. He looks over at my bag in my hand.

"That book does not belong to you. Return it to me," he says.

I struggle to answer amid the throbbing and screeching. "What … book?"

The man snatches the bag from my hand and takes out the book Yuri gave me before throwing my bag aside. Books and papers spill from my bag and scatter across the hall. Without another word, he leaves, and the pain is gone.

I look over at Monika, who has tears running down her cheeks. "Your nose …" she says.

I touch my nose and find that it's bleeding. I spit more blood out of my mouth. "Maybe I should go see the nurse," I say.

"N-No. Come with me." Monika is still visibly shaken, but she wipes her tears and gets to her feet. She adjusts her uniform and smooths out her skirt before walking over to me and holding out a shaky hand.

I take it and stand up. My heart is pounding, and my knees are shaking to the point I can barely keep my balance. I've never been so scared in all my life. "Did he hurt you?" I ask.  
"My head kinda hurts from when he slammed me in the locker … but other than that, no," she says. "What … what did he do to you?"

"I … don't know. His eyes turned black and … there was just pain. I've never felt anything like it," I say. I look at Monika. "What was he talking about?"

She turns away and starts gathering the things that spilled out of my bag. "Let's just get you cleaned up," she says.

I kneel down with Monika and gather my things. I see her reach for my poem, and I snatch it before she realizes what it is. She's kind to me now, but I don't want to risk her acting all weird again like last time. Monika gives me a confused look.

"I don't want to share my poem until we're at the club," I say. "It wouldn't be fair to the others."

She gives me a half-smile in return. "I suppose not, huh?" We finish gathering my things, and Monika picks up her bag. "C'mon, I know where I can take you," she says.

My legs feel like jelly, and I have difficulty walking. Did he give me brain damage? I feel something touch my hand, and I look down to see that Monika is holding it.

"It's okay, you can lean on me. I've got you. Take your time," she says with a smile. I'm at a loss for words, so I just nod in return.

With Monika's help, I hobble through the halls until she leads me to the bathrooms. She opens the door to the girls' room.

"Woah, hang on," I protest, pulling my hand away. "I can't go in there."

Monika giggles, "It's more private than the boys' room, trust me." She retakes my hand and drags me inside.

I feel incredibly uncomfortable the moment I set foot in the girls' bathroom. Thankfully, there doesn't seem to be anyone else inside. I look around and see that it's much cleaner than any of the boys' rooms that I've used on campus. The stalls and sinks were immaculate, and it even smelled nice. Usually, when I used the bathroom at school, I'd have to hold my breath before walking in since the guys here act like they don't know how to flush.

Monika grabs some paper towels from the dispenser and dampens them in the sink. She delicately lifts my chin to examine my face before wiping the blood away. I notice her eyes are red and glassy; she still looks like she's about to cry at any moment. Yet, the way her emerald eyes look at me makes my chest warm.

"You were really brave …" she says softly. "I don't know what would have happened if you didn't show up."

I swallow hard at the thought.

"Well, I'm just glad we both made it out in one piece," I say. "I've never seen him around before. Is he a transfer student or something?"

"Something like that …" she trails off.

"Do you know him?"

"He seemed familiar, but I don't remember meeting him before today."

"Why was he so angry with you?"

Monika bites her lip. "You wouldn't understand. You'd just think I'm crazy."

I snort. "I've had a bizarre couple days. I think you'd be surprised."

Monika looks at me, hopeful. I can see by her expression that she's debating with herself to say what's on her mind. "I … really want to tell you. But it's not the right time. Not yet. I have to be patient."

I'm completely lost. What does she mean by patient?

Monika grabs more paper towels and pumps some soap after dampening them. "You have blood on your uniform. It's going to stain if it sets," she says. She scrubs my shirt collar in silence. I place my hands over hers, and she stops to look up at me.

"Monika, please. He might come back. He might hurt someone else. If you won't tell me, you should tell a teacher, or the principal," I insist.

She looks deep into my eyes, and I see tears begin to form. "You're going to be perfect … You're making it really hard to wait …" Monika takes her hand and rests it on my cheek. My breathing quickens as I feel her palm gently slide down while her thumb traces my lower lip.

Focus, Mal. Monika is probably still rattled from earlier. Stay on topic. "Do you at least know his name?"

Monika shudders at the mention of it. She gives me a fearful expression before she steps closer to me. Her chest is pressed against mine, and the club president leans her face in close as if she's worried someone will overhear. I feel her warm breath on my skin as she says his name.

"Harbinger."


End file.
